Government Should Work For the Poor, Says PM Modi in Jharkhand

Dhanbad, Jharkhand: A government should work for the poor as the rich could afford to pay for their needs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

"For whom should the government be? It should be for the poor and policies should be such that it should give happiness to the mazdoor (labour force) and infuse energy in the people," Mr Modi said while addressing an election meeting in Dhanbad in poll-bound Jharkhand.

"The government at the Centre is committed to addressing their (poor people's) needs," he said.

Without naming the previous Congress governments at the Centre, the Prime Minister said they had nationalised banks four decades ago saying that the money in them would help the poor but it never happened.

Referring to the Jan Dhan Yojana launched by his government, Mr Modi appreciated the poor for contributing Rs 7000 crore in opening bank accounts under it.

He expressed concern over the migration of workers from Jharkhand to big cities to eke out a living. Mr Modi said his endeavour was to set up small factories in every village and town so that the youth could get jobs locally and stay with their families.