A heartwarming moment was witnessed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public gathering in Surat when a young man, filled with emotion, was standing clutching a poster of his deceased mother with tears rolling down his cheeks. The boy, clearly agitated, brandished the placard while standing by the podium, drawing the Prime Minister's attention. Movingly, PM Modi approached him, accepted the placard, and signed it, providing solace to the bereaved youngster for a brief moment.
The strong imagery of the moment registered the intense emotional bond between PM Modi and the masses, touching the hearts of the crowd at the venue. The incident became the talk of the event, with people praising the Prime Minister's empathy and personal touch.
PM Modi initiates Surat food security saturation campaign
During his tour, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Surat Food Security Saturation Campaign, reiterating the government's pledge for food security through the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Under this program, the Prime Minister disbursed benefits to around 2 lakh eligible beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), providing necessary food grains to poor families.
Following a grand roadshow in Surat, Modi was felicitated by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister CR Patil. The campaign aligns with the government’s broader efforts to saturate social welfare schemes, ensuring no eligible beneficiary is left out.
Gujarat's commitment to food security
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government, under Modi's leadership, launched PMGKAY to provide free, quality food grains to poor families. In Gujarat alone:
- 76 lakh NFSA cards have been issued.
- 3.72 crore people have been covered under the scheme.
- Special categories like widowed women (Ganga Swaroopa Yojana beneficiaries), elderly citizens (Vruddh Pension Sahay Yojana beneficiaries), and persons with disabilities (Divyang Sahay Yojana beneficiaries) have been classified as priority households under NFSA.
In order to ensure that these beneficiaries get both subsidised and free food grains, the Surat District Food Security Saturation Campaign was conducted.
Mission-mode implementation in Surat
Working in mission mode, district administration constituted zonal-level groups to screen and validate beneficiaries. The report came out with the proper findings that around 1.5 lakh beneficiaries were already enjoying social security schemes but were left outside NFSA. These people have now been brought under PMGKAY and will remain food-secure with all beneficiary families.
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