New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the country can develop only if various welfare schemes reach all, asserting that it is his guarantee that everyone – even those in the remotest of areas – will benefit from them.

Releasing the first instalment of Rs 540 crore to one lakh tribal beneficiaries of a rural housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) via video conferencing, he said the 10 years of his government have been dedicated to the poor.

Invoking Shabari, a tribal woman depicted in the epic Ramayana who served berries to Lord Ram during his stay in forests, the prime minister said it is natural for him to remember her when he has undertaken a special religious ritual till the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Press Trust of India