PM Modi says city-village gap narrowed in 12 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the gap between cities and villages in India has narrowed significantly over the last 12 years, with infrastructure in villages also improving.

Modi made the remarks while interacting with participants of the ongoing ‘Seva Yatra’, a motorcycle rally travelling from Varanasi to Vadnagar.

“Over the past 12 years, the gap between cities and villages in India has significantly narrowed. Today, infrastructure in villages has improved significantly,” he said.

The prime minister also said that self-reliance among women in the country has increased since his government came to power in 2014.

Modi told the participants that efforts should focus on continuous reform and positive change in society rather than only on vote bank politics.

Two motorcycle rallies were flagged off from Vadnagar and Varanasi on September 17, Modi’s 76th birthday. The rallies will conclude on October 7.

The rallies, travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi and from Varanasi to Vadnagar, are being held to mark Prime Minister Modi’s 25 years of public service.

Vadnagar in Gujarat is Modi’s birthplace, while Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has been his Lok Sabha constituency since 2014.

The two rallies are travelling through towns, districts and villages to take the message of service to the grassroots.

Modi said Vadnagar had given him the values that shaped his life, while Kashi (Varanasi) had added many dimensions of service to those values.

“I am glad that all of you are also enriching this journey with the many colours of service,” he said.

The rallies are bringing together several forms of public engagement, including ‘seva’ (service), ‘sampark’ (connect), youth participation, social welfare, cultural connect and community mobilisation, while carrying them from one grassroots location to another.

On Thursday, the prime minister interacted with participants of the rally travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi.