Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that his government has given equal attention to “vikas” (development) as well as preserving and reviving the country’s “virasat” (or heritage). Addressing a large public meeting here, Mr Modi blamed previous governments at the Centre for failing to ensure development while reviving India’s glorious past at the same time.
He said: “Civilisations which used to be very prosperous till 200 years ago now lie in ruins. Unfortunately, those who ruled the country for long after Independence failed to recognise the importance of religious places. For political gains, they created a trend of feeling ashamed of one’s own culture and past.”
The PM added: “No country can become developed by erasing, forgetting its past and by cutting its roots. I am satisfied that in the past 10 years, the situation has changed in India. The double-engine government of the BJP has made both development and heritage (vikas and virasat) a part of its policy.”
The Prime Minister asserted that the outcome of such a policy can be seen in rural areas of Assam, where places of faith and history have been boosted with modern facilities. This has happened concurrently with a focus on development, he added.
Pointing out that the Kamakhya Divyalok Pariyojana will give a massive boost to tourism in Assam, Mr Modi said that once the project was complete, it will give great pleasure to devotees who throng the temple and it will also offer a convenient darshan with world-class facilities to the people of Assam.
Referring to the example of over 85 million devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi in the past one year, over 50 million visiting Ujjain to witness the Mahakal-Mahalaok, over 1.9 million going to the Kedarnath Temple and 2.4 million visiting Ayodhya within 12 days of the consecration of Ram Mandir, the PM said: “The same will happen after the Divyalok Pariyojana is implemented at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati.”
He said: “Youths of the country have got direct benefit from our focus on development and heritage. There’s enthusiasm in the tourism and religious pilgrimage sectors these days.”
Mr Modi, who unveiled Rs 11,600 crores worth of development projects in Guwahati on Sunday, said: “Earlier, Assam used to have just six medical colleges, but now, under the BJP government, it has increased to 12. The state is now on its way to becoming the biggest centre of cancer care in the Northeast.”
The Prime Minister announced a new medical college at Karimganj in the Barak Valley region of the state as he laid the foundation stone of a project worth Rs 3,250 crores to improve amenities and infrastructure in the existing Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH).
The PM also mentioned the special focus on the development of the northeastern state by the BJP in the past 10 years and highlighted the improved connectivity in the region. He said that Budget outlay for development in the northeastern states had increased fourfold since his government came to power in 2014.
“In the past 10 years, we launched a campaign to provide electricity to all households. Now we are on the way to ensuring zero electricity bills (for consumers). In this year’s Budget, we have announced a big project for rooftop solar (electricity),” said Mr Modi.
The PM said in the first phase, the government would help 100 million families set up solar (panels) on their rooftops. This will reduce their electricity bills and those who produce surplus electricity can earn an income by selling it.
He reiterated the aim of his government was to simplify the life of every individual in this country. He asserted that the schemes launched by the BJP's “double-engine” government in the Centre as well as the state will reach every “labharti” (beneficiary).
The PM said the inauguration of projects worth over Rs 11,000 crores will strengthen the connectivity of Assam and the entire Northeast with other countries of South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Asserting that these projects will increase employment opportunities in the tourism sector, the Prime Minister added: “All these projects will increase the connectivity of Assam and the rest of the Northeast with the countries of Southeast Asia.”
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while highlighting the achievements of the BJP government, said: “This is the first time in the state’s history that infrastructure projects worth Rs 11,600 crores have been announced in a single day.”
