Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted online with three street vendors from Madhya Pradesh who are beneficiaries of the PM Swanidhi scheme meant for the vendors, Congress has cried politicization of a government scheme.
Ex-chief minister and MP Congress Committee (MPCC) president Kamal Nath pointed out that the vendors for interaction with the PM were selected from areas that are up for by-polls in the state.
Under the Swanidhi scheme, a sum of Rs 10,000 each as loan has been transferred to the accounts of over 1 lakh street vendors in Madhya Pradesh to boost their business, the MP government claimed. The PM made these transfers online and three of the beneficiaries interacted with him on Wednesday morning.
They included Chhaganlal Verma from Sanwer in Indore who with his wife prepares broom from date leaves and sells them, Archana Sharma of Gwalior who runs a street food cart and Dalchand who grows and sells organic vegetables in Sanchi of Raisen.
“The MP government claims that over 1 lakh vendors benefitted by the scheme. But the areas from where beneficiaries interacted with the PM are those where the by-polls are to be held. Why weren’t beneficiaries from other parts of the state selected? This is clear politicization of a government scheme,” Kamal Nath tweeted.
Meanwhile, during the interaction, PM Modi sought details of the work being done by the vendors from them and also asked as to how loan under Swanidhi scheme was helping them.
He said that there has been lots of talk about poor people in the country, but work was never done like in the past six years. He said that government schemes have come as a big support to the poor and deprived people. Modi asked the street vendors not to shy away from digital trading. He said that a 7 per cent discount was being offered in the interest of the loan given under Swanidhi scheme. If the vendors take care of digital transactions and few other things, they will also get more cash incentive. This incentive will be so much that the entire loan will become interest-free, the PM said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also joined the programme online, tweeted his gratitude to the prime minister for interacting with MP street vendors and encouraging them. “I am sure this interaction will encourage other brothers and sisters in the state to become self-reliant,” the CM tweeted.
