Celebrate birth of daughters like festivals: Modi

PM adopts Jayapur village, promises all-round development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked the people to “celebrate the birth of daughters like festivals” and decried the practice of female foeticide as he adopted Jayapur village in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi.

Modi assured all round development of Varanasi and laid the foundation stone for a Trade Facilitation Centre, besides announcing a Rs 2,375 crore package for the ailing cooperative banks in eastern Uttar Pradesh region to help weavers. The prime minister, in a veiled manner, sought to reject reports that he had adopted Jayapur village, about 30 km from Varanasi, under pressure from the RSS.

“I have adopted Jayapur as it was the first village I came to know after being declared the BJP nominee from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat,” he said, while addressing a gathering at the village.

“I came to know that five people of the village had died in a fire. I asked officials and BJP workers to lend all possible help. From that day onwards the name of the village was etched in my mind,” he added.

Modi, who was on his maiden visit to Varanasi after scripting a historic win from the seat in the recent Lok Sabha polls, also pitched strongly for keeping the village clean and asked the residents not to eat anything without washing their hands. He also asked them to celebrate the birth of daughters and plant trees on that day.

Earlier, Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 200 crore Trade Facilitation Centre at Lalpur in the district and strongly advocated use of technology in the textiles sector. He said that the textiles sector had great potential and called for using e-commerce.

He also announced a package for the revival of the sick cooperative banks in the eastern UP region saying that it would greatly help the weavers. The money could be sent directly to their accounts, he added. A majority of the weavers are Muslims and the decision is being seen as an attempt to bring the Muslims to the BJP fold.

The prime minister launched a veiled attack on the Uttar Pradesh government for not providing land for the centre and said that there must not be any politics in issues of development. “We wanted the centre to be set up at a place near the town but the state government did not give us land,” he added.