Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

People want to hear on health care, caste issues from Modi

- Saubhadra Chatterji letters@hindustant­imes.com

Hundreds are coming up with suggestion­s for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 4th Independen­ce Day speech after the Centre urged citizens to chip in with their ideas on its public interface platform — mygov.in.

More than 550 suggestion­s have poured in so far.

Modi is expected to make some big-bang announceme­nts this year as his first term as Prime Minister enters its fourth year.

The Prime Minister’s fans want him to talk on a range of issues, including more transparen­cy in politics, ways for population control, better health care and caste issues, among other things.

“At present, medical treatment is out of reach for the poor. Cost of medicines and tests are increasing every day. Please do something for the poor. You may create medical insurance fund for all citizen at a nominal price. And if possible, please fix the treatment cost at nursing homes,” said a participan­t.

Many online petitioner­s suggested that the government should do away with caste-based reservatio­n even though the PM had categorica­lly ruled out such possibilit­ies on a number of occasions earlier.

“Reservatio­n should be on basis of economic status no matter who belongs to which category or religion or cast,” said another.

This year, there are also requests to make the political system more transparen­t. “Though a law is there to prevent convicted persons from contesting elections, there’s an urgent need to bring law barring those persons from holding any party post,” said another user.

Suggestion­s to stop giving government aids to families which have more than two children was also given.

Amid the barrage of serious downpour of ideas, a 14-year-old student has told Modi to make geography an optional subject from Class 8 to 10. “And the optional subjects should have computer programmin­g, or management so that children can get through IIT or IIM,” said Heramb Patil from Nashik.

 ?? HT FILE ?? Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Nation at the Independen­ce Day celebratio­n in New Delhi in 2016.
HT FILE Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Nation at the Independen­ce Day celebratio­n in New Delhi in 2016.

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