New Delhi [India], April 8 (ANI): Calling the Mudra Yojana 'the biggest financial inclusion' scheme, Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Tuesday said that the scheme has generated over 5 crore employment opportunities.

'The biggest financial inclusion scheme in the world completes its 10 years today. #MudraYojana is completing 10 years. This is 10 years of the success of the PM's vision of economic empowerment of the poor. PM Narendra Modi's government disbursed Rs 33 Lakh Crores to the poor and middle class as loans. This has generated over 5 crore employment opportunities. More than 50% of the beneficiaries belong to the SC-ST community and women are leading in getting the loan,' Bhandari told ANI.

The BJP leader further said that the people in the Opposition can never understand real financial inclusion.

'This is a success model of the empowering of PM Modi's vision of GYAN - Gareeb, Yuva, Annadata and Naari. People in the Opposition can never understand real financial inclusion because those who claimed to have studied from Harvard could not open bank accounts of the poor for 70 years, they could not provide loans to the poor for 70 years. In 10 years, PM Modi Government's policies, intention and execution has said that when India has become a 4 trillion dollar economy today, the biggest contribution is that of small and medium enterprises,' he added.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Mudra Yojana beneficiaries and discussed the impact of the scheme on their lives.

'It has been ten years since this scheme was implemented. What is the nature of the government in general? They take a decision, hold a press conference and announce that we will do this and then call some people and light diyas. People clap and it gets published in the newspaper and after that, no one asks. This government is such that it evaluates the results of a scheme after ten years. We are asking the beneficiaries about their experience and if there is a need to bring any change in it, some improvement is needed, then we are going to move forward in that direction as well,' PM Modi said.

PM Modi welcomed the 'Mudra Yojana Beneficiaries' at his residence and said that the scheme is an 'eye-opener' for any government.

'I thank you all for coming to my residence. It is said in our scriptures that when guests come to a house, the house becomes pure, so I welcome you all,' PM Modi said, interacting with the beneficiaries.

PM Modi said that Rs 33 lakh crore has been given to the people of the country without any guarantee.

'You read in the newspaper that this is a government of the rich. Even if you add up the total of all the rich, they would not have received 33 lakh rupees. 33 lakh crore rupees have been given to the common man of the country...Today the youth of India, the entrepreneurial skills they have, if they get a little help, then very big results are achieved. This Mudra Yojana is an eye-opener for any government. The maximum number of women have come forward in this,' he added.

The Prime Minister said that the Mudra scheme is not for 'Modi's praises.'

'This scheme is to give courage to the youth of my country to stand on their own feet,' he said.

PM Modi said that among all these beneficiaries, some have provided employment to one, some to 2, and some to 40-50 people.

'This massive task of providing employment generates the economy. In the Mudra scheme, the highest number of women have come forward. Women have applied for the most loans, received the most loans, and are also the fastest to repay them,' the PM asserted.

During the interaction, the beneficiaries shared insights on how this scheme has transformed their lives.

Today, India marks 10 years of the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY). PMMY, the Flagship Programme of the Prime Minister, aimed at funding the Unfunded micro enterprises and small businesses. By removing the burden of collateral and simplifying access, MUDRA laid the foundation for a new era of grassroots entrepreneurship. (ANI)