Arunachal: Narendra Modi addressed Viksit Bharat Viksit North East Program in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh today. Shri Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crores in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. He also dedicated Sela Tunnel to the nation and launched the UNNATI scheme worth about Rs 10,000 crores. The development projects of today encompass sectors like rail, road, health, housing, education, border infrastructure, IT, Power, Oil and Gas, among others.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted the ongoing national festival of Viksit Bharat from Viksit Rajya. He acknowledged the new enthusiasm among the people of the Northeast for Viksit Northeast. He expressed gratitude for the support of Nari Shakti for the initiative.
Reiterating his vision of ‘Ashtalakshmi’ for the development of the Northeast, the Prime Minister called the region a strong link of tourism, business and cultural relations with South and Southeast Asia. Talking about the Rs 55,000 crore rupees projects of today, the Prime Minister said 35,000 thousand families of Arunachal Pradesh got their pucca houses, piped water connections for thousands of families of Arunachal and Tripura and connectivity-related projects for many states of the region. These education, road, railways, infrastructure, hospitals, and tourism projects have come with a guarantee of a Viksit Northeast, he added. He further said that the allocation of funds in the last 5 years is four-fold more than the earlier times.
The Prime Minister highlighted the Mission Palm Oil, a special campaign carried out by the central government keeping in mind the Northeast and informed that the first oil mill under this mission is being inaugurated today. “Mission Palm Oil will make India aatmanirbhar in the edible oil sector and boost the income of farmers”, the Prime Minister said, expressing gratitude towards the farmers for taking up palm cultivation.
“Entire Northeast can witness the meaning of Modi ki guarantee with the development works being done here”, the Prime Minister emphasized. He noted laying the foundation stone for Sela Tunnel and Doni Polo Airport in 2019 which have been inaugurated. “Whatever the time, month or year may be, Modi only works for the welfare of the nation and its people”, he said, acknowledging the support of those present on the occasion.
Referring to the recent Cabinet approval for the UNNATI scheme for industrial development of Northeast in a new form and expanded scope, the Prime Minister underlined the working style of the government as the scheme got notified in one day and guidelines were issued. He pointed out the push for modern infrastructure in the last 10 years, the implementation of about a dozen peace accords and the resolution of border disputes. The next step, the Prime Minister said, is the expansion of industry in the region. “Rs 10,000 crore UNNATI scheme will bring new possibilities of investment and jobs”, PM Modi said. He spelt out his focus on startups, new technologies, homestays and tourism-related opportunities for the youth of the region.
Throwing light on the government’s priority to making the lives of women in the Northeast easier, the Prime Minister mentioned the Rs 100 reduction in gas cylinder prices on the occasion of International Women’s Day yesterday. He also congratulated the entire team of the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the remarkable work done to make tap water connections available to the citizens. The Prime Minister expressed delight that Arunachal and Northeast are leading the way in several development parameters and said, “Development works reach Arunachal and the Northeast like the first rays of the sun”. He noted the inauguration of drinking water supply project for 45,000 households in the state. He also mentioned multiple sarovars constructed under the Amrit Sarovar campaign, creating Lakhpati Didis in villages with the help of self-help groups. “We aim to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the country and the women from Northeast will also benefit from this”, he added.
The Prime Minister criticized the earlier neglect of the development of the border villages. Referring to the Sela Tunnel, the Prime Minister reiterated his style of working as per the needs of the nation and not for electoral considerations. The Prime Minister promised the defence personnel that he would come to meet them at this engineering marvel in his next term. The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity and will improve the ease of travel for the people of Tawang. Work on many tunnels is going on in the region, the Prime Minister informed.
He also said that unlike the earlier approach, he has always considered the border villages as the ‘first villages’ and the Vibrant Village Programme is an acknowledgement of this thinking. Today, road projects for about 125 villages commenced and foundation stones were laid for tourism-related projects in 150 villages.
Problems of the most vulnerable and the most backward tribes are being addressed under PM-JANMAN scheme. Today, foundation stones were laid for Anganwadi centers in Manipur for such tribes.
Prime Minister Modi underlined that development works related to connectivity and electricity make for Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business. Drawing comparisons between the work done to boost connectivity since independence till 2014 with that post-2014, the Prime Minister informed building 6,000 kms of highways in the last 10 years compared to 10,000 kms in seven decades and laying 2000 kms of rail lines. In the power sector, the Prime Minister mentioned work commencing in Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh and Solar Power project in Tripura today. “Dibang dam will be India’s highest dam”, he said, noting the dedication of the highest bridge and the highest dam to Northeast.
The Prime Minister gave insights into his schedule for today including visits to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister said that every Indian is his family. The Prime Minister assured the citizens that he would not rest until basic necessities like pucca house, free raton, clean drinking water, electricity, toilets, gas connection, free treatment and internet connection among others are met. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister said, “Your dreams are my resolutions”, and thanked the entire Northeastern region for the development projects of today. Upon the Prime Minister’s request, the crowd turned on the flashlights of their mobile phones to celebrate the festival of development. “This spectacle will give strength to the nation”, he concluded.
