Public trust biggest achievement of Modi govt: Dharmendra Pradhan
Bhopal, June 13
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that earning the trust of the people was the biggest achievement of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government and asserted that India could emerge as a global superpower within the next two decades through the participation of every citizen.
Addressing the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sammelan' at the Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre in Bhopal, Pradhan said gaining public trust in a democracy was akin to receiving God's blessing. He said the last 12 years under PM Modi had ushered in an era of stability, confidence and development.
Earlier, while interacting with women entrepreneurs, self‑help group members and municipal representatives at the 'Atmanirbhar Mahila Samman' programme and the newly constructed Atal Bhavan, the Union Minister highlighted the growing role of women in shaping a self‑reliant India.
After viewing products made by women‑led groups during the meeting, Pradhan said the dream of Viksit Bharat could be realised only through the active participation of women. He said the Lakhpati Didis were creating new benchmarks not only in self‑employment but also in education, skill development and innovation.
He said women were creating new opportunities through entrepreneurship, higher education and skill‑based initiatives, while innovative projects involving the reuse of temple waste and implementation of schemes such as GOBARdhan were promoting cleanliness, environmental protection and economic self‑reliance simultaneously.
Pradhan also announced that new initiatives would be undertaken in collaboration with IGNOU to expand educational and skill‑development opportunities for women. Efforts would also be made to involve premier institutions such as IIMs to strengthen entrepreneurship and capacity‑building among women self‑help groups.
Returning to the broader development agenda, the Union Minister said the country's higher education and innovation ecosystem had expanded significantly since 2014. He said that in 2014, India had 723 universities and 36,634 colleges, whereas today there were 1,338 universities and 52,081 colleges. He added that the number of startups had increased from around 350 to 2.5 lakh.
Drawing a contrast with previous governments, Pradhan said Rajiv Gandhi had once remarked that only 15 paise out of every rupee sent from Delhi reached villages. He said Rs 51 lakh crore had been directly transferred into beneficiaries' bank accounts.
He added that India's developmental aspirations would require collective participation and said that if every citizen contributed, India could emerge as a global superpower in the next two decades.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I appreciate the focus on women self-help groups and Lakhpati Didis. In villages, these initiatives are giving our women real economic independence. My own aunt is part of a SHG and she says the confidence it gives is incredible. However, I wish the government would also focus on creating more jobs in the formal sector for educated youth.
The direct benefit transfer of 51 lakh crore rupees is indeed a game changer. Earlier many schemes used to get eaten up by middlemen. Now money reaches directly. That's why public trust has increased. But Pradhan ji should also talk about the poor state of government schools—mere college numbers don't tell the full story.
As someone who works in higher education, I find the expansion in universities very impressive. 1,338 universities from 723 in 2014—that's almost double. But quality control needs to be much stricter. Many new colleges lack proper faculty. The IIM and IGNOU partnerships for women sound promising, let's see how they implement it.
Public trust is not just about numbers, it's about feeling secure and hopeful. Under PM Modi, people feel the country has direction. The reuse of temple waste and GOBARdhan scheme is innovative—connecting spirituality with environmental sustainability. But we must also ensure that development reaches the poorest of the poor, not just the middle class.
I'm from Bhopal and attended a similar event. The energy in the hall was amazing! Women from our self-help groups felt so empowered. The
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.