New Delhi: Hitting out at the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said nearly 8 crore “fake beneficiaries” were getting the government aid during earlier regimes and opposition leaders have now gathered to “abuse” him as he has stopped their means of “looting” taxpayers’ money. Citing schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana and Aadhaar linking, Modi said that these efforts made since his government came to power in 2014 has led to more than Rs 1,10,000 crore of exchequer’s funds being saved from going to such “fake beneficiaries”.
Speaking here at an event organised by News18 media group, the prime minister said if one wants to indulge in scams now, they cannot do so as he has blocked all means of “looting” public money. “In past, there were nearly 8 crore fake beneficiaries who were getting govt monetary aid. Our government stopped it. “Leaders of opposition parties have gathered to abuse me as I have stopped means of pocketing taxpayer’s money,” Modi said. Referring to the opposition’s criticism on the jobs issue, Modi said nearly 1.2 crore jobs have been created annually going by figures from different sectors such as tourism, aviation and infra.