Amit Shah lays foundation of 45 public welfare development works in Gandhinagar

Later in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat's Gandhinagar. Following this event, he, along with Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, attended the MP sports competition held at the Sabarmati railway ground in Ahmedabad.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaign, saying it was singularly instrumental in lifting 60 crore people out of poverty.

Waxing eloquently on the Centre's flagship campaign, which is aimed at taking the country towards self-reliance, Shah said the focus of the initiative is to make trade, industry and businesses and the 140 crore people of India 'Atmanirbhar'.

"PM Modi has outlined his vision of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. It is a visionary idea and campaign. Being independent and self-reliant in the fields of space and defence is also a part of this campaign. It is aimed at making our trade, industry, businesses and the 140 crore people of India 'Atmanirbhar'," the Union Home Minister said.

"PM Modi pays studious attention to all sectors, especially space, research and development, and defence. However, he gives even more thought to the welfare and well-being of the poor and the underprivileged. Through his visionary ideas and policies, PM Modi has lifted 60 crore people out of poverty," he added.

Shah made the remarks while addressing the beneficiaries of the PM-SVANidhi Yojana and their families in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

Highlighting the measures taken by the Centre in battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Home Minister said India was the first country to come out with an indigenous vaccine.

"When Corona came, everyone was concerned about the pandemic's fallout in India. However, the Prime Minister did everything in his power to help us overcome the pandemic. We all know that India was the first country to come out with an indigenous vaccine to treat COVID-19. Proper arrangements were made to ensure that no one faced any hassles in accessing our vaccines or obtaining their (vaccination) certificates. Vaccines were provided free of charge to citizens," the Union Home Minister said.

The PM Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme is a government initiative that provides affordable loans to street vendors.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the scheme on June 1, 2020, to help street vendors restart their businesses post-COVID-19 pandemic. (ANI)