Modi defends welfare camps for poor

GANDHINAGAR - Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said that the programme of garib kalyan melas (GKM) to distribute welfare assistance among the poor under various schemes will continue despite criticism by middlemen and the opposition.

“The critics are none other than organized groups of middlemen who have lost their exploitative edge,” he said at a mela in Aankalav town in Anand district after distributing assistance worth Rs.6.75 crores to 4,534 beneficiaries.

The success of the melas has prompted the government to take them down to the taluka level, he said.

“Earlier lack of coordination in terms of governance was clearly visible. For example, persons who did not own plots were given benefits of the scheme. The present government first allots plots and then makes available the benefits,” he said.

The opposition parties in the state have criticised the melas and called them publicity stunts with an eye on the elections to local self-government bodies in October.