People full of negativity raise questions over govt initiatives: PM Modi

People full of negativity have raised questions over different initiatives of the government without realising that small steps lead to big changes, asserted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday while addressing a public rally here.

"In the last four-and-half years some people have asked all kinds of questions. I want to remind you all the statements that were made during this period - Does constructing toilets bring any change? Is it the work of the Prime Minister to get involved in the cleaning process? Does gas connection change lives? Does opening bank accounts make the poor rich?"Prime Minister Modi said while delivering a speech after dedicating the Salt Satyagraha Memorial to the nation.

He added, "The country won't forget these dialogues. Such questions were raised by people who are full of negativity. They must know that big change comes only with small changes in little habits and things".

In September 2018, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had termed Prime Minister Modi's 'Swacch Bharat' as a "hollow slogan" and accused him of turning a blind eye to the plight of thousands of manual scavengers.

Again in November, the Congress had fired a salvo at the central government, asserting that the Jan Dhan Yojana is just another 'jumla' (fake promise) and an exercise in mass deception.Former finance minister P. Chidambaram had said, "Instead of pursuing genuine financial inclusion, the Modi government's aim appears to just grab headlines".

Citing that Time Magazine selected Mahatma Gandhi as the person of the year in 1930, he hailed "Bapu's" contribution in bringing a massive salt movement. He said, "A lot has been said and written about the Dandi march. This Dandi memorial will become an important pilgrimage spot of the world in coming times. Some people during Gandhi's time didn't realise the significance of Dandi salt march and similarly many think about the work of the current government as small and insignificant".

Further outlining the effect of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan on the lives of poor, he added, "As per an estimate, the construction of toilet saved lives of 3 lakh poor people. Those who make fun of Swachh Bharat don't care for the lives of poor people. No matter how much mockery they make, the new India is committed to bringing these changes."

Asserting that the village economies have grown rapidly in past few years, the Prime Minister said, "The economy of villages and cottage industries were a significant part of Gandhi ji's economic vision. The government has worked immensely in this direction. The efforts have resulted in more than doubling the sale of village industries which was about 30,000 crores four-and-half year back."

The BJP government has shown how strong and big decisions are taken, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday while asserting that the work done by his government in four years would have otherwise taken 25 years by others to complete.