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O that I might have a House of My Own! 89

with skills and competencies. Under “Ummeed” our plan is to
train one lakh youngsters in different areas, providing them
certificates after the completion of their training. Such training
will enable them to get jobs in the numerous malls, sales
counters, airports and other businesses that are cropping up as
a result of the rapid development of the state. These training
programmes which are typically two-three months in duration
will solve their problem of lack of skills and competencies and
give them the scope to obtain employment. “Ummeed,” aims
to provide employment to one lakh poor boys and girls within
one year. You can imagine the huge difference this would make
to the economy of the state.

Concern for the Children of the Poor

While on the topic of the welfare of the poor, we are equally
concerned about the problem of malnutrition of poor children
in cities which leads to their improper physical development.
Especially during the constant heavy rains in monsoons, when
epidemics break out, the children of the poor are the first to fall
ill. This is a heart-wrenching situation. Who will worry about
the health of these children? We will. Under the, “Garib
Samriddhi Yojna”, we have planned a network of Aanganwadis
(child-care centres) for poor children. At these centres, children
will be well taken care of so that they grow up healthy, with a
strong foundation of good health. We have a tradition of offering
prasad to God. A rich man will spend thousands of rupees to
offer rajbhog (rich food) in hopes of pleasing God. A poor man
might only be able to offer some peanuts or a flower, but
everyone wishes to offer something to God. However, I believe
that every child in the Aanganwadi is a Bal-kanaiya, a
manifestation of God. So, instead of rajbhog, we have planned
to offer balbhog. Under this plan, children at Aanganwadis will
be given nutritious chocolates and biscuits so that their bodies
are well-equipped to fight diseases and be healthy. When a child
falls down a tube-well, there is media frenzy and people all
over the country pray for his safety in front of their TV sets. If
the child is saved, the entire nation heaves a collective sigh of