Tell middle class about schemes which benefitted them: PM asks ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked Union ministers to reach out to the middle class with details of schemes which have benefitted it, sources said.

Chairing a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers here ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1, he said while government schemes have benefitted the poor and the marginalised, several initiatives have also been taken for the middle class that have made their life easier, the sources said.

The prime minister wanted the Union ministers to carry facts while reaching out to the middle class with details of the initiatives which helped them in various ways.

Hard copies of the presentations made during the meeting were given to the ministers to spread the message.

This was the first meeting of the Union Council of Ministers to be held in 2023.

As India marks 75 years of its Independence, the prime minister suggested that

things and laws which were reminiscent of the British Raj be flagged and scrapped, the sources said.

Three presentations were made, including the one by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on the overall work done by the Modi government in its last eight years relating to the social and economic sectors.

Guaba's presentation was a detailed one, emphasising on education and health sectors. A number of IITs, IIMs and IISs have been opened in far-flung areas of India, the cabinet secretary noted.

Enrolment and retention of students have increased at all levels of education --primary, secondary and higher education, according to his presentation.

Government school infrastructure both in terms of human and other resources have been transformed, he informed the meet.

The number of undergraduate and postgraduate seats have gone up, benefitting students, he added.

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade Secretary Anurag Jain made a presentation on the status of various projects started by the government.

He gave the details of the number of projects completed and the status of the remaining ones, the sources said.

I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra told the meeting how various social media platforms can be used to spread the message of good work done by the Modi government.

The Union Budget will be the last full-fledged budget of the Modi government before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections which could be announced sometime in March next year.