Mumbai: Terming corruption as a "disease and sin", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government was committed to banishing it from the country.
"Corruption has destroyed the country... For some, it has become a way of life. This disease has to be banished, we have to get rid of this sin," he told a gathering after dedicating to the nation the 1000 MW Mouda Super Thermal Power Project Stage-1 in poll-bound Maharashtra.
The function was boycotted by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is upset over having to stop his speech midway due to chants of "Modi! Modi" at a function in Solapur last Saturday when the prime minister inaugurated a National Highway project.
Describing the Solapur incident as "unfortunate", Chavan had yesterday said he had decided to skip Modi's functions in Nagpur today. Governor K Sankaranarayanan was, however, present.
Modi said providing electricity to everyone across the country is the topmost priority of his government.
"For any country to progress, priority has to be given to infrastructure. If we can deliver durable infrastructure, possibilities of development increase. Among all kinds of infrastructure, power is the most important as it is critical to bringing about a change in the quality of life of the people," he said.
Resolving to provide "power to all", Modi referred to the stress he had laid on hydropower during his recent visits to Bhutan and Nepal as also Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the aim of his government is to tap all sources of energy with emphasis on clean energy like solar power and stressed upon the need for power and water conservation for sustained development.
Recalling the plight of debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha, who were forced to commit suicide, Modi asked the farming community to avail of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Jandhan Yojana that will be launched on August 28.
The scheme, which would include a bank account, a debit card, and an insurance amount of Rs one lakh, would help provide some "guarantee of security" to the farmers and help them avoid the debt trap laid by money lenders, he said.
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