‘Is Modi govt taking revenge on Scheduled Castes, OBCs?’: Congress flags ‘lapses’ in PM-DAKSH scheme

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Modi government over alleged “serious lapses” in the implementation of the PM-DAKSH skill-training initiative for marginalised sections, and questioned whether the BJP was “taking revenge” on Scheduled Castes, OBCs, economically weaker sections, and denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes following its tally of 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a screenshot of a media report on the ‘Pradhan Mantri Dakshata aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi’ (PM-DAKSH) scheme, which claimed that the initiative had not been implemented for over two years and that expenditure under the scheme had remained at zero during the period.

In his post in Hindi on X, Ramesh said, "'Naam bade aur darshan chote!' The scheme bears the PM's name, yet on the ground, the results are -- much like his claims -- a big, fat zero."

"The Modi government has only one job—grandiose advertisements, headline management, and zero delivery", the Congress MP added, highlighting that the failure to implement the 'PM-Daksh' scheme for two years and the non-utilisation of the budget allocated in previous years expose yet another "major failure" of the Modi government.

He claimed that a scheme intended to provide skills, training, and employment opportunities to marginalised sections has been reduced by the Modi government to nothing more than paperwork.

"A government that cannot even effectively implement a scheme -- one that bears the PM's own name and was launched with grand, lofty claims -- has no moral right to remain in power," Ramesh said.

"Modi-ji, your government has lost the trust of the people. Its expiry date is near; 'jhola uthane ka waqt aa gaya hai (it is time to pack your bags)'. How much longer will the Modi government continue to toy with the future of Gen-Z?" the Congress leader said.

The PM-DAKSH Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched in 2020-21 to provide high-quality skill training through reputed institutions, with the aim of enabling beneficiaries to secure employment or pursue self-employment opportunities. The scheme targets Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs), denotified and nomadic tribes, and Safai Karamcharis, including waste pickers.