I am going to face problems for taking tough decisions: PM

Weeks after saying that he faces threat to his life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he is going to face "problems" at the hands of "big people" who have suffered because of his tough policies which have stopped leakages to the tune of Rs 49,500 crore.

He, however, asserted that he will continue the fight for the poor with an aim of taking the country to greater heights.

"I know if I try to stop loot very minutely, what consequences I will have to face," he said in the Lok Sabha while replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address.

Modi, who had said at a rally on Goa sometime back that his life could be under threat because of his tough decisions, said he maintains what he spoken there.

"Mai dobara kehta hun.. Aise aise bade logon ko takleef ho rahi hai, aur zyada hone wali hai. Uske kaaran mujh par kya kya zulm hone wale hain, uske liye tayar hun. (I repeat that big people are facing problems and these problems are going to increase. Because of that, I am going to face problems, for which I am ready)," he said.

Modi was responding to remarks by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge who, while referring to the Prime Minister's speech in Goa, said if his life was threatened what would happen to others.

"I got worried that if my Prime Minister, Leader of this House is facing life threat, then what will happen to me? He has so much security, so many people around him, 330 MPs, RSS, etc. and still if this is his situation, then what would happen to me since I raise issues in Parliament," Kharge had said in the House yesterday.

Modi said "I began my journey for this country and I am taking every step for the welfare of the country".

He said the money which could have gone to the middlemen would now be used for the welfare of poor.

Stressing that "intention" of the government is equally important, Modi said although the Congress-led UPA government had decided on neem coating of urea to prevent the misuse of subsidised fertilisers, it did not push the scheme.

The UPA government had capped neem coating of urea at 35 per cent and achieved a target of only 20 per cent whereas the NDA government decided to go ahead with 100 per cent neem coating of urea.

Neem coating prevents use of urea for any purpose other than as fertiliser.
Modi said without neem coating, urea was being pilfered to other uses, leaving farmers without availability of the fertiliser.

He said before his government came to power, Chief Ministers used to write to the Prime Minister, seeking more urea but this has stopped now as the fertiliser is adequately available.

He also said that extensive use of Aadhar has helped in apprehending 3.94 crore fake ration cards in two and a half years, preventing siphoning of Rs 14,000 crore to the middlemen.

Making payments of MNREGA through aadhar too has helped in plugging leakages to the tune of Rs 7,633 crore, Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the UPA had increased allocations on MNREGA by Rs 600 crore while the NDA has raised the outlay by Rs 11,000 crore.

He said that surrendering of gas subsidy has helped the government in saving Rs 26,000 crore which in turn was used to provide gas connections to about 2 crore families.

"Broadly, Rs 49,500 crore in one year which could have gone to middlemen has stopped," he said.

He said the government has distributed 21 crore LED bulbs and due to this power bills have been reduced and rs 11,000 crore was saved.

He said the government has distributed Rs 1.56 lakh crore through direct benefit transfer scheme.

For farmers, Modi said schemes like Crop Insurance Scheme and Soil Health Card have brought and asked memebers to encourage people to make use of such schemes as ultimately everybody works for the development of the country.