PMAY is govt's fight against poverty: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY) was his government's endeavour to eradicate poverty and urged the beneficiaries of the scheme to empower their next generations through education.

He was interacting with the PMAY beneficiaries from Maharashtra through video-conferencing from the temple town of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district.

Modi said those who have got pucca houses under the scheme should also avail the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme.

"You will get my letter. If you submit it to the hospital, you will get a gold card, through which you can avail assistance for hospitalisation of family members. For serious illnesses, Rs 5 lakh per year to each family will be given," he said.

Interacting with the beneficiaries mostly in Marathi, Modi asked if the quality of houses under the PMAY was good and if they had to bribe anyone to get the funds for the houses.

When the beneficiaries replied in the negative, he said under the NDA rule, the middlemen have become helpless.

While interacting with people from tribal-dominated Nandurbar district, Modi recalled how he used to visit the place frequently in the past and have "Chaudhary ki chai".

He said just like he speaks Marathi, people from Nandurbar can also speak Gujarati. "After all, you are our bigger neighbour," he said.

He asked a beneficiary, Ahilya Padvi, if she would be able to welcome more visitors in her new house now.

When Modi asked the women beneficiaries in Thane how many of them were educated, only one raised her hand.

To this, he said, "You should ensure that your next generation gets education. The housing scheme is a fight against poverty and along with new houses you can avail health benefits under the Ayushman Bharat scheme."