Modi launches projects worth Rs. 75,000 crore in Maharashtra, says deprived are priority for government

Nagpur, December 11, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation projects worth more than 75,000 crores in Maharashtra today and said those who were deprived earlier had now become the priority for the government.

Addressing a gathering here on the occasion, he said the country is moving forward with a great resolve of a developed India, which could be achieved with the collective strength of the nation.

"The mantra for building a developed India is the development of the states for the nation’s development," he said.

Modi said experience had shown that when development is limited, opportunities also get limited.

"When education was limited to a select few, the talent of the nation could not come to the fore, when few people had access to banks, trade business also remained limited, and when better connectivity was limited to only a few cities, growth was also limited to the same extent.

"As a result, neither the large population of the country was availing the full benefits of the development nor the real strength of India was coming to the fore," he said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that in the last eight years, both this thinking and approach have changed with the principles of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas"

“Those who were deprived earlier have now become priority for the government," he said.

The projects launched today included railway projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore, the National Institute of One Health (NIO), Nagpur and the Nag river pollution abatement project, Nagpur.

Modi also dedicated the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur to the nation and inaugurated the Centre for Research, Management and Control of Hemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur.

Earlier in the day, he flagged off the Vande Bharat Express from Nagpur to Bilaspur, dedicated theNagpur Metro Phase I to the nation, and laid the foundation stone of Phase II of the metro project.

He also inaugurated Phase I of the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg which covers a distance of 520 kilometres and connects Nagpur and Shirdi.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur which is being developed at a cost of more than Rs 1,575 crore. It is a hospital with state-of-the-art facilities, with OPD, IPD, diagnostic services, operation theatres and 38 departments covering all major specialty and super specialty subjects of medical science. The hospital provides modern healthcare facilities to the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and is expected to be a boon to the surrounding tribal areas of Gadchiroli, Gondia and Melghat.

“Today a constellation of eleven new stars is rising for the development of Maharashtra which will help in achieving new heights and provide a new direction," he said about the projects launched today.

The Prime Minister said the projects were proof of the pace of work by the "double-engine" BJP governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

He underlined that Samruddhi Mahamarg would not just reduce the distance between Nagpur and Mumbai but also link 24 districts of Maharashtra with modern connectivity. Apart from providing a boost in employment opportunities, he said these connectivity projects would benefit farmers, pilgrims and industries situated in the region.

Modi said these projects were part of a holistic vision of infrastructural development.

“Be it AIIMS Nagpur or Samriddhi Mahamarg, be it Vande Bharat Express or the Nagpur Metro, all these projects may differ in their attributes but when put together in the form of a bouquet, the essence of a complete development will reach every citizen,” he said.

He said that, whether it is about healthcare for the common man or wealth creation, be it empowering the farmer or water conservation, it is the first time that the government has given a human form to the infrastructure where a human touch is impacting everyone’s life.

“The Ayushman Bharat scheme which provides free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to every poor is an example of our social infra, the development of our places of faith from Kashi, Kedarnath, Ujjain to Pandharpur is an example of our cultural infra, the Jan Dhan Yojana, that connects more than 45 crore poor people to the banking system is an example of our financial infrastructure,” he said.

He said the campaign to open modern hospitals and medical colleges like Nagpur AIIMS is an example of the medical infrastructure. “Infrastructure cannot just cover lifeless roads and flyovers, its expansion is much bigger,” he added.

The Prime Minister gave the example of the Gosekhurd Dam whose foundation was laid thirty to thirty-five years ago with an estimated cost of around Rs 400 crore but was never completed. He said the estimated cost of the dam has now increased to Rs 18,000 crore.

“After the formation of the double-engine government in 2017, the work on this dam has been accelerated, and every problem has been resolved," he said, expressing satisfaction that this year the dam had been completely filled.

Speaking about prioritisation of the deprived, Modi listed steps like easy loans for vendors and the more than 100 Aspirational Districts.

“For the last 8 years, we have been working towards transforming these deprived areas into new centres of energy for rapid development," he said.

The Prime Minister also warned everyone about the emergence of the politics of short-cut in India. He warned that political parties are looting the hard-earned money of taxpayers for political interests and adopting shortcuts with the aim of forming the government by making false promises.

He said that, at a time when the country is working towards becoming a developed nation in the next 25 years, some political parties want to destroy the economy of India for their own self-interest. He lamented that Indai was not abe to take advantage of the first industrial revolution and lagged behind during the second and third industrial revolution. He said that the country could not now afford to miss the fourth industrial revolution.

“No country can run with short-cuts, a permanent solution with a long-term vision is very important for the progress of the country," he stressed.

The Prime Minister gave examples of countries like South Korea and Singapore that were once considered poor but managed to change their fate with a boom in infrastructure, and have now become huge centres of economy. He reiterated that the need of the hour is that every penny of the government exchequer is spent on building a bright future for the young generations.

He also urged the youngsters and taxpayers of the country to expose "selfish political parties" that go by the policy of "earning less, spending more".

The Prime Minister said many countries of the world had seen their entire economies collapse due to such "bad policymaking".

He expressed delight at the people’s support towards the efforts of sustainable development and sustainable solutions in the country. “The election results in Gujarat are the result of the economic policy of permanent development and permanent solution,” he aid.the Prime Minister added.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were amongst those present on the occasion.

NNN