Now no middlemen exist in sysytem: Javadekar

Union minister Prakash Javadekar today said now there were no middlemen left in the system and the country had witnessed an "extraordinary transformation" in all the spheres in the last four years.

He claimed not even a even a single case of corruption had come into light, so "no dalal (middlemen) no corruption".

"Now there are no middlemen existing in the system which helped the government to root out corruption from depth in all the departments of the Centre. It happened only after the arrival of the Narendra Modi government," he told reporters.

"In the last 48 months, India has witnessed an extraordinary transformation in almost all the spheres of human activity and progress," he said.

Javadekar added that policy initiatives had also encouraged active public participation of people with an aim of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' through 'Saaf Niyat for Sahi Vikas' (right intention for correct development).

He said the government had also launched a major reform in the economic system, the Good and Services Tax (GST), to enhance ease of doing business and ease of living.

He said India's centuries old yoga practice was recognised at a global level and the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.

The minister said healthcare was the main focus area of the government and the sector had seen some unprecedented initiatives by the government.

Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest health insurance initiative, as announced in the Budget 2018-19, aimed to provide coverage to more than 50 crore citizens, he said.

Javadekar said the Centre had always accorded the highest priority to the welfare of farmers and the progress of agriculture and allied sectors in the country.

Initiatives like determining the minimum support price for kharif crop as 1.5 times the production cost, distributing more than 12.5 crore soil health cards, establishing e-NAM platforms to integrate 585 regulated markets for fetching best prices showed the government's commitment, he said.

About the development of the poorest sections of the society, he said the government had started the financial inclusion scheme Jan Dhan Yojna and till now, 31.52 crore accounts have been opened under it.

Approximately, 13.25 crore people are insured with personal accident cover under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna, he said.

Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti Bima Yojna benefitted 5.22 crore families with a life insurance cover at Rs 330 per year, he said.

Caring for the welfare and financial security of senior citizens, Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojna, gives 8 per cent interest rate for 10 years to senior citizens. Moreover, the investment limit was doubled to Rs 15 lakh and the scheme extended till 2020, he said.

On women empowerment, multiple initiatives were taken to ensure good health of the mother and child, he said.

More than 1.26 crore accounts for the girl child were opened and around Rs 20,000 crore deposited under Sukanya Samridhi Yojna. 3.8 crore LPG connections were provided and the government set a target of providing 8 crore LPG connections, he said.