Mumbai, Sept. 28 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the gap between cities and villages in India had narrowed significantly over the past 12 years, with infrastructure in rural areas showing substantial improvement. He also said self-reliance among women had increased since his government came to power in 2014.
Modi made the remarks while interacting with participants of the Seva Yatra, a motorcycle rally travelling from Varanasi to Vadnagar. He emphasised the need for continuous reform and positive social change, saying public work should extend beyond electoral considerations and focus on broader community welfare.
Two motorcycle rallies were flagged off on September 17, which marked Modi's 76th birthday. The events, organised to mark his 25 years of public service, are scheduled to conclude on October 7. One rally is travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi, while the other is following the reverse route.
Vadnagar in Gujarat is Modi's birthplace, while Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has been his Lok Sabha constituency since 2014. The rallies are passing through towns, districts and villages, with organisers seeking to take the message of service directly to grassroots communities.
The programmes bring together public engagement activities focused on service, community contact, youth participation, social welfare, cultural links and mobilisation. Modi said Vadnagar had given him values that shaped his life, while Varanasi had added new dimensions to those values through its tradition of service.
On Thursday, the prime minister had interacted with participants of the rally travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi. The two routes are intended to connect different grassroots locations and encourage wider participation in social initiatives. The events are also presenting the rallies as platforms for community interaction and volunteer engagement across the areas they cover.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.