Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hinted at stronger action against those who opted out of the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) and failed to declare their unaccounted money till the deadline that ended on September 30. “Over Rs 65,000-crore of unaccounted money was declared under the IDS and that too without any ‘Surgical Strike’. Imagine what all would come out if we initiate surgical strikes,” Mr Modi said at a public function here. Other than the money collected through IDS, the Prime Minister said that his government has been able to save another Rs 36,000-crore by eliminating middlemen and directly transferring money to beneficiaries by linking Aadhaar Card to Jan Dhan Yojana.
“So we have been able to collect roughly Rs one lakh crore,” he added. Mr Modi, who was speaking at a function to distribute artificial limbs, tri-cycles and other assisting devices to over 10,000 “Divyangs”, said that since May 2014 more than 4,500 such programs have been conducted across the country, compared to just 56 between 1992 and 2014. In the last three months, this is Mr Modi's fourth visit to the state that is due for Assembly polls next year. This is, however, his first visit to Vadodara after becoming PM. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Mr Modi was elected from both Vadodara and Varanasi constituencies, but he retained the latter.
Earlier in the day, Mr Modi inaugurated an integrated terminal building of Vadodara's Harni Airport built at a cost of Rs 160-crore. Spread over 18,120 sq mts, it has the capacity to handle 700 passengers (domestic plus international) per hour. Speaking at the function, the Prime Minister said that India's aviation sector had huge possibilities of growth with smaller towns -- tier-2 and tier-3 -- unleashing their true potential and middle-class increasingly aspiring to fly. “As per some estimates in the coming five years, India will have fliers equal to the entire population of America annually,” he added. Mr Modi also said that the country's first Railway University would be set up at Vadodara.
“Our railways continue to operate in the old structure. With technology and innovation, we can change the face of railways in India. This university will play an important role towards encouraging innovation,” he said. Meanwhile, posters of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared in the city, crediting him for his efforts for the Vadodara Airport getting the new flashy look. Posters with demand to name the airport after the former ruler of Vadodara, Late Sayajirao Gaekwad, too cropped up in the city. A section of the Dalit leaders on the other hand has demanded that the airport be named after Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. (UNI)
