New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the ban on high value currency notes is not to agonise anyone but to clean our economy. Speaking on demonetisation after launching the Pradhanmantri Grameen Awas Yojna, an ambitious housing scheme meant for the rural poor in Agra yesterday, the Prime Minister said more than five lakh crore cash has been deposited in banks since last ten days. Addressing a Parivartan rally, Mr. Modi acknowledged that people got some pain due to it but it is in fact punishment for those who had accumulated huge black money.

 

He thanked people for bearing the pain of high value note ban. Mr. Modi said his decision to demonetise high value currency notes is punishment for those who has accumulated huge black money.

 

Under the Pradhanmantri Grameen Awas Yojna scheme, the government will provide pucca houses to all the rural poor of the country by 2022. Addressing a Parivartan rally, Mr Modi said those who are most deprived in the society will get the benefit first under this scheme. He said the new houses will be equipped with PM Ujjawala Yojna.

 

In remarks being seen as attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mr. Modi said political leaders behind multi-crore chit fund scams are attacking him as they have been hit hard by demonetisation. He also hit out at the Congress saying governments in the past 70 years kept quiet on black money because they were worried about losing power.

 

The Prime Minister cautioned people holding Jan Dhan accounts not to allow themselves to be used for laundering the money of the rich by depositing their ill-gotten wealth as they could unnecessarily get into problems with law.

 

Union Rural Development minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on the occasion that the Pradhanmantri Grameen Awas Yojna, with Rs 81000 crore will be separate from Indira Awas Yojna.