Approach of reaching last mile, policy of saturation complement each other: PM Modi

Feb 27, 2023

New Delhi [India], February 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed a post-Budget webinar on the subject 'Reaching the last mile', the fourth of the series of 12 webinars being organized by the government.
Explaining the thinking behind the policy of saturation, which was the theme for Monday's webinar, Prime Minister Modi said the approach of reaching the last mile and the saturation policy complement each other.
"The day we decide that every basic facility will be provided to every citizen in every area, then we will see what a big change will come in the work culture at the local level. This is the spirit behind the policy of saturation. When our aim is to reach everyone, then there will be no scope for discrimination and corruption. And only then, we will also be able to complete the goal of reaching the last mile", the Prime Minister added.
He said as opposed to earlier when the poor would run after the government for basic facilities, the government was now reaching the doorstep of the poor.
The objective behind hosting the webinars is to seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023.
In the initial part of his address, acknowledging the importance of the debate on the Budget in Parliament, PM Modi said the government has gone a step further and for the last few years started a new tradition of brainstorming with the stakeholders after the Budget.
"This is important from the point of view of implementation and time-bound delivery. This also ensures proper utilization of every penny of taxpayers' money," he said.
He gave the example of new approaches in the immunisation and vaccine coverage in 'Mission Indradhanush' and the Covid-19 pandemic to illustrate the power of good governance and ensure last-mile delivery.
"The more emphasis we put on good governance, the more easily our goal of reaching the last mile will be accomplished," he said.
Prime Minister Modi asked the stakeholders to discuss how to link housing with technology to make strong but affordable houses, find easy ways of benefiting from solar power, and group housing models acceptable in both urban and rural areas.
In this year's Union Budget, the allocation under the housing scheme was about Rs 80,000 crore, an increase of 66 per cent.