Modi lays foundation stone for various projects worth Rs 7600 cr in Maharashtra

The projects include the foundation stone laying of the upgradation of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur and the New Integrated Terminal Building at Shirdi airport. Modi also launched the operationalization of 10 Government Medical Colleges in Maharashtra and inaugurated the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS), Mumbai and Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) of Maharashtra.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that Maharashtra is being presented with 10 new Medical colleges and important infrastructure projects including the modernization and expansion of Nagpur Airport and construction of a new terminal building for Shirdi airport. He congratulated the people of Maharashtra for the development projects of today.

Recalling his visit to Mumbai and Thane to inaugurate projects worth Rs.30,000 crore, the Prime Minister mentioned that development projects worth thousands of crores such as the expansion of Metro network, upgradation of airports, highway projects, infrastructure, solar energy and textile parks have been initiated in various districts earlier.

Modi underlined that new initiatives have been undertaken for farmers, fishermen and animal keepers while the foundation stone for Wadhawan Port - India’s largest container port has also been laid in Maharashtra.

The Prime Minister remarked, “Never in the history of Maharashtra has development taken place at such a fast pace, on such a large scale, in different sectors.”

Recalling the recent recognition of Marathi as a classical language, the Prime Minister remarked that when a language gets its due respect, it's not just the words but the entire generation gets a voice. He added that the dream of crores of Marathi brethren was fulfilled with this.

Modi noted that the people of Maharashtra celebrated the recognition of Marathi as a classical language. He added that he was receiving messages of happiness and gratitude from people across the villages of Maharashtra. Modi remarked that the recognition of Marathi as a classical language was not his work but a result of the blessings of people of Maharashtra.

The Prime Minister underlined that the works of progress in Maharashtra were underway due to the blessings of luminaries like Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Jyothiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

The Prime Minister noted that the results of the assembly elections published yesterday for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and the voters of Haryana had clearly revealed the mood of the people of the country. He added that the victory in Haryana for the third consecutive time after successful completion of two terms was historic.

Modi cautioned against those who play divisive politics and mislead the voters for personal gains. He also pointed out attempts to induce fear among Muslims in India and convert them into vote bank and also expressed disdain towards those indulging in casteism in Hinduism for their benefit.

Modi warned against those trying to break Hindu society in India for political gains. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the people of Maharashtra would reject efforts to break the society.

In the last 10 years, the Prime Minister said that the government has begun a ‘Maha Yajna’ of creating modern infrastructure for the development of the nation. “Today, we are not only constructing buildings but laying the foundation of a healthy and prosperous Maharashtra”, the Prime Minister said, referring to the inauguration of 10 new Medical colleges in the state to improve the lives of lakhs of people.

He said that Thane, Ambernath, Mumbai, Nashik, Jalna, Buldhana, Hingoli, Washim, Amravati, Bhankdara and Gadchiroli districts would become centers of service for lakhs of people. The Prime Minister underscored that the 10 new Medical colleges would further add 900 medical seats in Maharashtra taking the total number of medical seats in the state to about 6000.

Recalling his resolve to add 75,000 new medical seats from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister said that today's event is a big step in this direction.

Adding that the Government had eased the Medical Education, the Prime Minister remarked that the doors to new avenues were opened for the youth of Maharashtra. He added that the priority of the government was to ensure that as many children from poor and middle class families become doctors and their dreams are fulfilled.

Modi said that at one point of time, there was a huge challenge of non-availability of books in mother tongue for such specialized studies. The Prime Minister said that the Government ended this discrimination and the youth of Maharashtra would be able to study medicine in Marathi language. He added that the youth will fulfill their dream of becoming doctors, by studying in their mother-tongue.

The Prime Minister remarked that the Government’s effort to make life comfortable was a big medium to fight against poverty. Lambasting the previous Governments for making poverty the fuel of their politics, he added that his government has lifted 25 crore people out of poverty within a decade.

Elaborating on the transformation of health services in the country, Modi said “Today, every poor person has an Ayushman card for free medical treatment”. He added that recently the elderly aged above 70 years were also getting free medical treatment.

Modi noted that the Essential medicines were available at very low prices at Jan Aushadhi Kendras and the stents for heart patients were made cheaper by 80-85 percent. He added that the Government had also reduced the prices of medicines necessary for cancer treatment.

Adding that medical treatment had become cheaper due to the increase in the number of government medical colleges and hospitals, Modi said “Today the Modi government has given a strong shield of social security to the poorest of the poor.”

The Prime Minister emphasized that the world only trusts a country when its youth is filled with confidence. He noted that the confidence of today’s young India is writing the story of a new future for the nation and highlighted that the global community sees India as a significant hub for human resources, with vast opportunities in education, healthcare, and software development across the globe.

To prepare India’s youth for these opportunities, the Prime Minister informed that the government is aligning their skills with global standards. The Prime Minister mentioned the launch of various projects in Maharashtra, including the Vidya Samiksha Kendra, aimed at advancing the educational framework and the inauguration of the Indian Institute of Skills in Mumbai, where future-oriented training will be provided to align the talent of young individuals with market demands.

Modi highlighted the government’s initiative of offering paid internships to youth, a first in India's history, where students will receive a stipend of Rs 5,000 during their internship. He expressed happiness that thousands of companies are registering to be a part of this initiative thereby helping young individuals gain valuable experience and opening new opportunities for them.

The Prime Minister said India's efforts for its youth are yielding significant results. He said that India’s educational institutions are standing on par with the top institutes globally and highlighted the growing quality of higher education and research in India as released by World University Rankings only yesterday.

Modi said that the world’s eyes are now on India as the country has become the fifth-largest economy. “Future of the global economy is in India”, the Prime Minister remarked, noting the new opportunities brought by economic progress, especially in sectors that were once neglected for decades.

He gave the example of tourism and pointed out the lost opportunities in the past to fully utilize Maharashtra’s invaluable heritage, beautiful natural sites and spiritual centers to develop the state into a billion-dollar economy.

The Prime Minister stressed that the present government includes both development and heritage. Touching upon building a bright future inspired by India’s rich past, the Prime Minister mentioned the new terminal at Shirdi airport, the modernization of Nagpur Airport and other development projects underway in Maharashtra.

He said that the new terminal at Shirdi airport will greatly benefit devotees of Sai Baba allowing more visitors from across the country and abroad. He also spoke about inaugurating the upgraded Solapur Airport which will now enable devotees to visit nearby spiritual destinations such as Shani Shingnapur, Tulja Bhavani and Kailas Temple thereby, boosting Maharashtra’s tourism economy and creating employment opportunities.

“Every decision and every policy of our government is dedicated to only one goal - Viksit Bharat!”, exclaimed Modi. He added that the Government’s vision for the same was welfare of the poor, farmers, youth and women. Therefore, he added that every development project was dedicated to the poor villagers, laborers and farmers.

Modi highlighted that the separate cargo complex being built at Shirdi airport would help the farmers a lot as various types of agricultural products could be exported across the country and abroad. He added that farmers of Shirdi, Lasalgaon, Ahilyanagar and Nashik would benefit from the cargo complex by easily being able to transport products like onion, grapes, guava and pomegranate to the big market.

The Prime Minister remarked that the government was constantly taking necessary steps in the interest of farmers such as abolishing the minimum export price on Basmati rice, removal of ban on export of non-Basmati rice, reducing the export duty on parboiled rice by half.

He added that the government has also reduced the export tax on onions by half to increase the income of farmers of Maharashtra. Modi also added that the Government had decided to impose a 20 percent tax on the import of edible oils and significantly increase the custom duty on refined soybean, sunflower and palm oil to help the farmers of India to benefit with higher prices for crops like mustard, soybean and sunflower.

Modi also added that the way the government was supporting the textile industry the cotton farmers of Maharashtra would be greatly benefitted. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister said that the resolve of the present government is to strengthen Maharashtra. He expressed happiness with the state’s pace of progress and congratulated the people of Maharashtra for all the development projects of today.