Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, BJP led NDA Government has been working for the upliftment of the poor through people's participation. He said previous governments made many policies but these schemes were not framed keeping in mind the interest of the poor. Addressing a public rally at Maldeypur in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia yesterday,Mr Modi said, poverty can be eradicated only if poor are empowered, given resources and opportunities as well as education, jobs, houses, electricity and drinking water. Prime Minister also launched Rs 8,000 crore scheme to provide 5 crore free LPG connections to poor families across the country. Mr Modi said under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, free LPG connections will be provided in the name of women members of BPL households. In the first year, one crore and fifty lakhs such connections will be given and the target of 5 crore will be completed in three years. He also expressed his commitment for cleaning of river Ganga. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched 11 solar-powered "e-boats" at the Assi Ghat in Varanasi yesterday. He said this step is in line with his government's focus on making long-term interventions to empower the poor in their fight against poverty.<br/><br/>The Prime Minister said his government has made schemes, which empower the poor to fight and defeat the poverty themselves. Reaching out to the backward fishermen and boatmen communities and addressing them as brothers, the Prime Minister said his government is for the poor.<br/><br/>Underlining the importance of cleanliness, Mr Modi called upon the people to make Varanasi a clean city so that tourists return to their places with a good memory about this historic city. He also held a 'chaupal' with the rickshaw pullers in his Parliamentary constituency and handed over e-rickshaws to them. He interacted with few rickshaw pullers who were given e-rickshaws, replacing their old paddle rickshaws with new vehicle. <br/><br/>During his one-on-one talk with the rickshaw pullers, Mr Modi asked them to be more hard working besides being courteous with the passengers specially the foreign tourists.<br/><br/>British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith accompanied the Mr Modi in the interaction. During the 20-minute programme, the Prime Minister handed over a kit each to the new e-rickshaw holders containing uniforms, papers of the vehicles and other necessary documents.<br/><br/>The rickshaw pullers receiving the e-rickshaws, would be trained under the skill India scheme for running their vehicles and behaving well with the passengers.