Citizens' responsibility is to take care of public property: Highlights of PM Modi's address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid his tribute and commemorated former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 95th birth anniversary.

On the occasion, the prime minister unveiled former PM's statue at Lucknow's Lok Bhawan, laid the foundation stone of a university and launched a scheme in New Delhi. 

While speaking at events in Lucknow and New Delhi, the prime minister touched upon a range of issues - from anti-CAA protests to tackling the water problem in the country.

Appeal for calm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed for calm and asked people not to listen to rumours with respect to the Citizenship Amendment Act. 

"Don't resort to violence. People listened to rumours and rumour-mongering fueled violence," the prime minister said during his address in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. 

The prime minister said that issues like Article 370 and Ram temple in Ayodhya have been "resolved peacefully" in the country. 

Citizens' responsibility 

PM Modi asked people to introspect if damaging public property in the name protest was right. He said it is the citizens' responsibility to take care of the public property. 

"People who damaged public property and were involved in violence in the name of protests in UP, should introspect if what they did was right," he said.

"A secure atmosphere is our right but it's also the duty of the citizens to respect the work of police," he said. 

Tackling water issues

Outlining the importance of water management, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that 'New India' will have to work together to tackle water issues."New India should come to work together to deal with every situation of the water crisis. For this, we are working together on five levels," he said after inaugurating the Atal Bhujal Yojana in New Delhi to mark the 95th birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Hail Atal Ji!

The prime minister unveiled a statue of former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Lucknow's Lok Bhawan today. 

He also paid his tribute to the former PM on the occasion of his 95th birth anniversary. 

"Atal ji used to say that life has to be seen in totality, not in pieces. The same is true for the government, the same is true for good governance. Good governance is also not possible until we think of the problems in totality," PM Modi said in Lucknow. 

'Ayushman Bharat'

The prime minister also said that around 70 lakh people have benefitted from the Ayushman Bharat--Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) health insurance scheme.

Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of Atal Bihari Medical University in Lucknow, Prime Minister Modi termed Ayushman Bharat as the "world's largest scheme".

"In less time, 70 lakh people have benefitted from this scheme... Out of this, around 11 lakh people are from Uttar Pradesh," Prime Minister Modi said."The Central government`s road map for the health sector is -- first, working on preventive healthcare; second is expanding affordable healthcare, and the third is the supply side interventions, which means ensuring supply in view of every demand of this sector, and fourth is the mission mode intervention," the PM said.

(With inputs from ANI)