Nearly 100 crore Indians covered under social security framework: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India’s social security framework, bolstered by numerous welfare schemes, currently covers nearly 100 crore people as opposed to only 24 crore in 2014.

He spoke about the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana with a high interest rate of 8.2 per cent, aimed at ensuring the education of the girl child and securing their future. Currently, 4 crore accounts have been opened with more than Rs 3.25 lakh crore deposited in these accounts.

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Speaking at the birth centenary programme of the spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, Modi said the country’s welfare and social security schemes were being discussed even internationally.

Visiting the holy shrine and Mahasamadhi of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of his birth centenary, the Prime Minister released a Commemorative Coin and a set of stamps to mark the occasion.

Later, addressing a gathering, he said that seva or service was the central value of Indian civilisation and had sustained the nation through centuries of change and challenge.

“Spirituality and service are not separate but different aspirations of the same truth,” said the Prime Minister.

Hailing Sathya Sai Baba’s life as a living embodiment of universal love, he said the spiritual leader’s birth centenary year was a major source of inspiration for the active participation of citizens when the nation was moving forward towards development with the spirit of Kartavya Kaal (the era of duty).

He said that though the spiritual leader was no longer physically present, his legacy of service continues to guide his followers. He recalled that after the Gujarat earthquake, Sai Baba’s Seva Dal members were at the forefront of relief efforts, reaching out to affected families, providing essential commodities and offering psychological support. Pointing out that the Trust approached the task in an organised, institutional and long-term manner, the Prime Minister said, “This serves as a practical model before us.”

He particularly hailed their work in the sectors of healthcare, nutrition, disaster support and clean energy.

“In Rayalaseema, there was a serious problem with the drinking water supply. The trust laid down pipelines for 3,000 km. They constructed 1000 houses for flood-affected families in Odisha. The poor families who come to the Sathya Sai hospital are astonished when they realise there are no counters for billing in the hospital. The treatment is free and the patient and his family do not face any inconvenience,” said the Prime Minister.

Apart from the Prime Minister, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, Union minister K Rammohan Naidu and G Kisan Reddy, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actress Aishwarya Rai were present at the centenary programme.