Before 2014, corruption was viewed an essential part of govt: PM Modi

Before 2014, corruption was viewed as an essential part of government, PM Modi told a rally in Shimla and asserted the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre has a zero-tolerance policy towards graft

Before 2014, corruption was viewed as an essential part of government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a rally in Shimla and asserted the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre has a zero-tolerance policy towards graft.

At the rally in Ridge Maidan to mark the eighth anniversary of becoming prime minister, Modi said that after coming to power, his government pruned nine crore fake names from the list of beneficiaries of various schemes.

"Be it Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or scholarship or any other scheme, we have eradicated the scope of corruption through direct transfer of benefits."

"We have transferred over Rs 22 lakh crore to the bank accounts of beneficiaries of various schemes through direct benefit transfer," the prime minister said.

He further said, "Now our borders are more secure than they were before 2014."

About his government's measures to combat the Covid pandemic, Modi said, nearly 200 crore Covid vaccine doses have been administered in India so far.

India exported the Covid vaccine to various countries and Himachal Pradesh's Baddi industrial unit played a vital role in manufacturing those jabs, he told the rally.

"Now India extends hands of friendship not under compulsion but to help others as was done by providing Covid vaccines to several countries, the prime minister added.