Dharmasthala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday Addressed a public rally in Ujjire near Dharmasthala, a temple town in Dakshina Kannada and lauded the contribution of Dr D Veerendra Heggade, the head of the Shri Kshetra Dharamasthala Rural development Project.
Dr D Veerendra Heggade, welcoming the PM in Tulu, said “Dear Prime Minister, on Behalf of Tulunadu and Tulu people we welcome you and salute you. Our mother tongue is Tulu. This language has still not got its due place among the other recognized languages of our country. We Tuluvas request the government of India to include the Tulu language in the 8th schedule of the constitution.”
He went on to praise the PM for bringing the government closer to the people. “Today the whole country is feeling a sense of oneness. In the last three years I felt a change in India. You have created a ‘Jagruth Bharath’.”
He said that the educational institutions set up by Dharmasthala stands for values, systems and equality with service. He also added that the Rural Development Self Employment Training Institute (RUDSET) set up by them in the year 1982 in the village of Ujire, has become a national programme ably managed by the government of India through the 587 RSETIs set up in different district of the country.
“The programme had helped 2.5 million youngsters, which goes in line with your dream of a start up India.” He spoke about the Shri Kshetra Dharamasthala Rural development Project (R), which was established in the year 1982, and about how there were around 18000 workers spread across the entire state of Karnataka.
“SKDRDP promotes self help groups consisting of women and small farmers,” he said. “Financial empowerment is the foundation for liberating the people and making them true citizens of our country. The self-help group movement was started by SKDRDP to make rural women financially independent,” he added.
He went on to add, “the branch-less banking, developed by SKDRDP, and its partner banks has enabled the poor to get door step banking services. The 10,000 service points run by SKDRDP has made your vision of PMJDY a practical programme. As a result 12 Lakh SHG members have got their accounts opened and RUPAY cards issued.
He proposed to facilitate 40 Lakh PMJDY accounts by June of 2018. He also said that SKDRDP has adopted modern technology in SHG transaction by digitizing the member level details and their transitions and that SBI has come forward to help them make the SHG transactions cashless by using the SBI BHIM app.
Union minsters Ananth Kumar, DV Sadananda Gowda, BJP state president Yeddyurappa, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Executive Director of SKDRDP Dr LH Manjunath and others were present.
