Kudos for Aadhaar, but not congress: PM Modi at SAP Center

San Jose: On a day he obliquely slams the Gandhis, he praises a key UPA initiative. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Aadhaar, the unique biometric identity issued to millions of Indians, has helped the country cut down on gas subsidy leakages. “At the older gas rates, nearly Rs 29 lakh crore were being stolen. Today, all that money has been saved in India's locker,” Modi said in his speech at SAP Center in San Jose. The Aadhaar project, which was kicked off by the previous government, was briefly at risk of being scrapped by the new government.

However, the Modi government endorsed it when it came to power. “Earlier, nearly 19 crore people used to claim gas subsidy and the government had to pay for it. When we joined Aadhaar and Jan Dhan account, it came down to 13-14 crore,” said Modi. “This is part of my JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) Yojana,” he said to the packed auditorium. Aadhaar recently faced a setback when the Supreme Court said it will not be compulsory for citizen to receive government benefits. Earlier in his speech, he attacked Congress regime. “In our country, it doesn't take long for leaders of the country to be blamed. He made Rs 50 crore, the other one made Rs 100 crore. Son made Rs 250 crore, daughter made Rs 500 crore, the son-inlaw made Rs 1,000 crore,” said Modi in a thinly veiled attack at the Congress.