Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he does not have a house in his name, but his government turned lakhs of daughters in the country house-owners.
PM Modi, who has been on a two-day visit to Gujarat starting Tuesday, was speaking at the launch of various development projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore, including projects worth Rs 4,500 crore related to education sector, in Bodeli town of tribal-dominated Chhotaudepur district of Gujarat.
"Since I spent significant time with you, I know the issues faced by poor people and I have always tried to solve those issues. Today I am satisfied because my government has built four crore houses for the people across the country. Unlike previous governments, a house for the poor is not just a number for us. We work to provide dignity to the poor by building houses for them," he said.
"We are building houses as per the needs of the poor, that too without the presence of any middlemen. Lakhs of houses were built and registered in the names of our women. Though I don't have a house in my name, my government made lakhs of daughters house-owners,'' he said.
PM Modi also noted that World Bank president Ajay Banga was so impressed with the Gujarat education department's command and control center in Gandhinagar, called 'Vidya Samiksha Kendra', that he urged him to start such centers across the country.
"The World Bank president (Ajay Banga) recently visited the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (in Gandhinagar). During our meeting, he urged me to start such centers in all districts of India and said the World Bank is ready to be a part of that project," he said.
The PM said the new National Education Policy (NEP), which was left in limbo for three decades, was finally introduced by his government.
Without mentioning any names, PM Modi also attacked the opposition saying "they indulged in politics of reservation".
"But until I became Chief Minister, no science school was functional in tribal areas of Gujarat...How will you get admission in medical and engineering colleges if you do not have science schools," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
