Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated the pilot project of Prime Minister’s Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT) and Health Passport for Gujarat’s Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, describing it as a major initiative to deliver transparent, technology-driven social welfare that ensures that no eligible beneficiary is left behind.
Shah said a new era of social welfare for the poor began in India after 2014.
“Under the transparent rule of the Prime Minister, every rupee released from Delhi is now directly deposited in the bank accounts of the poor,” he said.
“When the history of the first 100 years of India’s independence is written, it will be divided into two phases – before 2014 and after 2014,” he said.
Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has witnessed transformative reforms in the areas of education, economy, industrial development and governance through long-term planning. He added that transparent governance has ensured that government benefits now reach beneficiaries directly through bank transfers.
Launching the pilot, Shah said the integrated digital platform will strengthen governance through a common identity system and ensure that no eligible beneficiary is denied social welfare benefits.
Read also:Private companies temporarily reduce fares to beat Bharat Taxi: Shah
Recalling his experiences of witnessing extreme poverty in Uttar Pradesh, he said the Modi government has transformed the lives of nearly 70 crore (700 million) poor citizens over the past 12 years by providing housing, electricity, tap water, toilets, LPG connections, free foodgrains and free healthcare worth up to $5 lakh.
“These initiatives have fulfilled the dreams of generations of poor families,” Shah said, citing Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya, stressing that good governance extends beyond formulating plans to include caring for every citizen.
Shah explained that the PM Family Care Tracker program integrates databases related to birth and death registration, health, nutrition, education and social care into a unified digital system.
Under the system, alerts will be automatically generated if a child misses a vaccination or drops out of school. He said notifications will reach local officials, legislators and representatives, enabling volunteers and government authorities to intervene immediately. He added that the platform will digitally track the health and nutrition of children from pre-birth until the age of 16 years.
Read also:From Garba to Motia, from Samosa to Chutney: PM Modi celebrates ‘Creole spirit’ in historic speech in Seychelles
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel described PM Family Care Tracker and Health Passport as sensitive and well-organized digital health infrastructure for every family.
He said that the initiative represents the beginning of a “new era” in ensuring a safe, healthy and dignified life for mothers and children from pregnancy to adolescence. He said the government’s focus on four pillars of healthcare – preventive, promotional, affordable and digital – and Gujarat’s achievements under schemes like Namu Shri Yojana.
Shah also distributed the first digital certificates, administered polio drops, distributed nutrition kits, and issued health passports. PM also inaugurated eBus Sewa in Gandhinagar.
