Now Delhi listens to you: PM Narendra Modi on death penalty for rape of children
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MP Governor Anandiben Patel and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. (PTI Photo) Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MP Governor Anandiben Patel and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)
Referring to the Central government’s ordinance on capital punishment for people convicted of raping girls aged 12 or below, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said there is now a government in Delhi that listens to the people and takes decisions accordingly.
Modi said families should respect their daughters and inculcate values in sons. A social campaign will have to be started to create such an atmosphere in families, he said, and urged people to focus on educating their children.
“Betion ke saath durvyavahar karnewale rakshasi manovruti ke logon ko faasi par latkane ka kanoon banaya hai. Delhi mein aisi sarkar hai jo aapke dil ke aawaz sunti hai aur nirnay leti hai (We have made a law to hang those who rape daughters. There is now a government in Delhi that listens to people and decides),’’ Modi said, addressing a rally at Ramnagar, about 12 km from Mandla town, in a district in easternmost Madhya Pradesh on the Chhattisgarh boundary.
The event was held on the occasion of the National Panchayati Raj Day.
Modi launched the Rashitrya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, which aims to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system, and unveiled a road map for development of tribal areas. As part of the scheme, nearly Rs 2 lakh crore will be spent over the next five years.
The event was originally scheduled to be held in Jabalpur but the venue was shifted to Mandla at Modi’s suggestion, as he wanted to be among the tribal people, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
Mandla is a tribal-dominated district, and the Prime Minister spoke about “unsung tribal heroes”, who laid down their lives before the first war of independence in 1857 and afterward but have not got their dues. “Not only Rani Durgavati, Rani Awantibai and Birsa Munda, there were many other, but their contribution was forgotten. Only some people, and some families, are mentioned,’’ Modi said, without taking names but indicating the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Modi announced that tribal museums will be set up in each state, narrating the history of such sacrifices.
Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s words that India lives in its villages, and his call for gramodaya to rashtrodaya, and gram swaraj, Modi appealed elected panchayat representatives to fulfill Gandhiji’s dream of making villages self-reliant. He said there are more than 2.4 lakh panchayati raj institutions and more than 30 lakh elected representatives, nearly one third of them women, and there is no scarcity of funds for panchayats.
He exhorted elected panchayat representatives to go the extra mile in fields such as education and health by abandoning the opinion that it is the work of government employees.
“Make the most of those five years (of elected tenure) and do at least one work that will remain ingrained in people’s mind. There is no power, difficulty or challenge that cannot be overcome,” he said. He appealed panchayat representatives to make efficient use of infrastructure and focus on transparency and honesty. Modi also drew attention of panchayat representatives to jan dhan yojana (financial inclusion), van dhan (empowering tribal communities) and gobar dhan (cow dung) to change the village economy.
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