The women and child development minister, Smriti Irani, has proactively engaged with beneficiaries of government welfare schemes to share their success stories.

Personally meeting and interacting with them, she aims to assess the real-life impact of these schemes on their daily lives. These success stories are now incorporated into her weekly talk show on All India Radio, showcasing how ordinary individuals, grappling with chronic illnesses, have experienced life-changing transformations through government policies.

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Speaking to The Statesman, the minister for minority affairs, Irani, said, “The government designed schemes and announced them for the welfare of the common people. It is our responsibility to cross-check the viability and impact of such schemes on the ground. And nothing could be better than meeting and interacting with them. I meet them and also share their inspiring stories through All India Radio.

The purpose is to reach out to people living in the remote areas of the country. Sharing with them that this is what is available for making your life better. So, there is no one left suffering due to the lack of awareness”. The minister has also shared her contact numbers for anyone who needs further information. In the recent series, the minister met with the young women athletes and talked to them about their struggles and how they overcame their hard times. She met with the beneficiaries who have availed themselves of the facilities offered by the government in the healthcare system. There were people who were heart patients and got heart transplants.

Tubercular patients were treated and cured in the government hospital running DoT centres for tubercular patients. The minister believes that highlighting these stories will cut down on the stigma in society about certain diseases and help spread greater awareness. Irani feels the interaction and sharing of such success stories of human interest would help in more than one way to improve the system.

“Talking to them helps me understand the hiccups in the system. The feedback from the system helps in a big way to iron out the glitches that beneficiaries have faced during the process of availing of it. So, this talk show is a medium to reach out to those who are in need but are not aware of the ways and means.”