Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched 11 solar-powered "e-boats" at the Assi Ghat in Varanasi. 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.<br/><br/>Earlier, the Prime Minister held a 'chaupal' with the rickshaw pullers in his Parliamentary constituency and expressed his feelings before handing over e-rickshaws to them. He interacted with 16 select rickshaw pullers of the total 1000, who were giving e-rickshaws, replacing their old paddle rickshaws with e-rickshaws. <br/><br/>Mr Modi had one-on-one talks with the rickshaw pullers. He 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 while family members of some of the rickshaw pullers, mostly women, touched his feet to seek his blessings. The kit contained 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.