Rs 20 lakh crore package to serve interests of poor, farmers, middle class: Amit Shah

New Delhi, May 12: The Modi government takes decisions in the interest of the country and the just announced Rs 20 lakh crore relief package will help the poor, farmers and middle class, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.

In a series of tweets in Hindi with the hashtag 'AatmanirbharBharat', Shah said the time has come for everyone to take a pledge to use more and more local products. The home minister's remarks come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the package in a televised address in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In every decision of the Modi government, the interest of the country and the countrymen has been at the centre. A special package of about Rs 20 lakh crores announced by the Modi government is reflective of this," Shah said.

This includes the interests of the poor, farmers, middle class and business class of the country and "this will empower every section and make the country self-sufficient", he tweeted. Shah said the prime minister has noted that in this odd situation where everything is closed, locals became companions in this hard time and supported."So now the time has come that we pledge to use more and more local products and make our local global," he said.

Shah said the way India has fought the novel coronavirus pandemic under the leadership of Modi, the country has given a new direction to the whole world. In this challenging time, new India not only handled itself vigorously but also helped the whole world.

This has changed the way the world views India today, he said. The home minister said the prime minister has said that the 21st century should be the century of India and the time has come to convert this sentence into reality.

"This is possible only with the resolve of 'self-reliant India' of 130 crore Indians. We have to take a pledge that now #AatmanirbharBharat will lead the world," he said.

Shah said if India is determined with the power of 130 crore people, then every determination is possible. "Under the visionary leadership of Modi ji, now every Indian will have to take a pledge that he will make his best contribution to make India self-reliant without pause. The welfare of the whole world lies in India's self-reliance," he said.