Modi Wished He had a Decent House in his Childhood, Opens “Khelo India” Youth Games

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Jan 19: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday became emotional saying he wished he had a decent house to live in in his childhood as he spoke about a massive housing society project that has recently been completed in Maharashtra.

The Prime Minister said he wished he had the opportunity to stay in such a house when he was young. “I went and saw (the project) and I thought that I wish I too had a chance to live in such a house in my childhood,” the Prime Minister said.

“Happiness comes when people’s dreams come true. Their blessings are my biggest asset,” he said holding back tears. The Prime Minister dedicated 90,000 houses completed under PMAY-Urban in Maharashtra and 15,000 houses of Raynagar Housing Society in Solapur. He termed the project as “the country’s largest society built under PM Awas Yojana.” The Solapur project’s beneficiaries comprised thousands of handloom workers, vendors, power loom workers, rag pickers, beedi workers and drivers.

Mr Modi was addressing a gathering in Solapur after laying the foundation stone of 8 AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects worth around ₹ 2,000 crore in the state. Mr Modi, who said his government was inspired by Lord Ram’s principles of governance with honesty, urged people to light “Ram Jyoti” on January 22, the day a grand consecration ceremony would take place at the Ayodhya Ram temple.

“Modi’s guarantee means ‘guarantee puri hone ki guarantee’. Lord Ram taught us to honour commitments made and we are fulfilling all goals we set for the welfare of the poor and their empowerment,” he said. The Prime Minister also distributed the first and second instalments to 10,000 beneficiaries of PM-SVANIDHI in Maharashtra during the programme.

Later, Mr Modi also declared open Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai and said the government was striving to host the 2029 Youth Olympics and the 2036 Olympic Games in the country. Welcoming the participants, the prime minister remarked that they were together “showcasing the true spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’” and said for Indian sports, “the Youth Games is a great way to start the new year 2024.”

Lighting the traditional torch to mark the beginning of the games, he said it was estimated that the size of the Indian sports industry in the coming years would touch nearly Rs 1 lakh crore. Tamil Nadu’s hospitality “will win your hearts”, he said, adding that the Khelo India Games would certainly provide sportspersons with an opportunity to showcase their skills and also help them make new friendships that last a lifetime.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister Modi also launched ‘DD Tamil,’ the revamped version of the regional language Doordarshan channel DD Podhigai.