You are also a chaiwala like me,” Modi quipped during his conversation with Ahmed.
Never shy about his past, when he sold tea at a railway station in Gujarat as a young boy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi bonded with a ‘chaiwala’ from Goa during a virtual interaction on Saturday.
Among the many beneficiaries of the Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swayampurna Goa initiatives, Modi also spoke to Ruki Ahmed, a person with physical disabilities, who runs a utility stall in the port town of Vasco, which also sells samosas, water, chips, biscuits and tea.
“You are also a chaiwala like me,” Modi quipped during his conversation with Ahmed.
The Prime Minister also lauded Ahmed’s courage and grit, which has won him a gold medal in table tennis at district level para-games.
“Your courage inspires one and all. Since the people have given us a chance to serve, we are trying our best to ensure that the divyangs in our country can live with respect,” Modi said.
“You have seen how the country’s para-athletes have made India proud recently. You are also an athlete, put in all you can, the government will help you tide over shortcomings. Make Goa proud,” Modi also said.
PM focuses on marine product processing
Instead of exporting raw fish from India, the focus should be on processing marine products, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
“India for the longest time has been exporting raw fish. Indian fish is being processed in East Asian countries after which it hits the world market. To change this reality, the fisheries sector for the first time has been given assistance at a big scale (by the central government),” Modi said, during an interactive session with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, local bureaucrats and beneficiaries of the schemes launched under the Swayampura Bharat and Atmanirbhar Goa programme.
Modi also said that the central government has also formed a separate ministry for Fisheries, while also undertakes steps to modernise fishing vessels.
During his virtual interaction with a traditional fisherman from Goa Luis Cardozo, Modi urged fishermen to not limit themselves to the raw market.
“Our government is making efforts to ensure that fisherfolk should not limit themselves to the raw market, but benefit from processing,” Modi also said.
The Prime Minister also said that over the last six to seven years, the central government had taken a lot of steps to empower fisherfolk, which includes extending the Kisan credit card to members of the fishing community, upgrading equipment and facilities in fishing boats as well as developing a special app for sailors.
