Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing an enthusiastic crowd at the Khanapara ground during his visit to Guwahati, asserted the Centre is focussed on vikas (development) and virasat (heritage) to benefit “even the poorest”. He launched and laid stones of development projects of over Rs 11,600 crore in the Assam capital on Sunday.
The move will strengthen Assam’s road connectivity with the entire Northeastern region along with neighbouring Southeast Asia and will boost numerous sectors like healthcare, sports and tourism. Subsequently, it will create employment, stated PM Modi in his 32-minute speech.
After laying the Ma Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana’s foundation stone, PM Modi said, “Assam will become the tourism gateway in the Northeast with an increase in the footfall of devotees” as the project will facilitate devotees’ easy access and comfort.
PM Modi slammed the erstwhile governments for not perceiving the “importance of Bharat’s pilgrimage sites and temples” as he talked about vikas and virasat so that “even the poorest benefits” from the transformative initiatives that have been launched in the past ten years.
The Premiere underlined the importance of temples and pilgrimage sites which “symbolised an indelible mark of our civilization over thousands of years, showcasing how Bharat has held on to every crisis it has faced”. Accentuating the significance of connecting these places with modern facilities for accelerating over all development, PM Modi pinpointed “how the civilizations, considered to be prosperous in the past, now stand in ruins”.
The Central Government has “rectified” the mistake of the “post-independence governments” which “did not understand the importance of Bharat’s holy places” in the past ten years by formulating “policies focussing on both vikas and virasat”.
Effectively kicking off the ruling BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in April-May, the PM’s highlight on development and heritage is seen as a counter to the Oppositions’ charges against the Centre of formulating policies, exempting tax and privatising public enterprises to favour the rich.
The PM mentioned, “Be it a rickshaw puller, a taxi driver, a hotel owner or a street vendor, the livelihood of even the poorest gets a boost with the arrival of pilgrims and devotees.”
Attributing the record tourist footfall in the past ten years in the Northeast and increasing development expenditure in the region by four times to the “double engine” government at the Centre and the State, he stated the railway tracks length was increased by over 1,900 km, the railway budget by almost 400 per cent and 6,000 km of new national highways were built in the past one decade compared to 10,000 km till 2014.
Reaching out to the Northeast, particularly Assam’s youths, PM Modi asserted they dream of witnessing development akin to that of East Asia.
“I want to tell the youth of Assam and the Northeast that your dream is Modi’s promise. I will not leave any stone unturned to ensure your dream is fulfilled. This is Modi’s guarantee… Modi’s guarantee means the guarantee of fulfilment,” ensured the PM.
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