PM accuses Cong of ignoring NE development for decades

Jorhat, Mar 9 (PTI) Asserting that the Northeast’s development is crucial to fulfil the objective of ‘Viksit Bharat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of ignoring the region for decades.

Speaking at a public gathering in Meleng Meteli Pothar, after inaugurating projects worth Rs 17,500 crore in Assam, the prime minister emphasised the significance of Northeast India’s development for realising the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).

He criticised the previous Congress government, stating that they had neglected the region for decades since Independence.

‘During Congress rule, foundation stones of many development projects were laid, photographs were taken but after that it was forgotten for years’, Modi said.

It was left to the BJP government to complete many projects that had been started by the Congress, he added.

‘Our government has given special emphasis on infrastructure, health and energy projects for the overall development of the region’, he said.

The prime minister said on Saturday morning he had visited the Kaziranga National Park, and its natural beauty and rich biodiversity will always be etched in his memories.

‘The Kaziranga National Park is known for its famed one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, elephants and swamp deers while it is a paradise for bird watchers’, he said.

He accused the previous Congress government’s “insensitive and unplanned conservation strategy” that led to poaching in the park.

Around 27 rhinos were killed in 2013 but the number of such poaching incidents came down to zero in 2022 due to the NDA government’s policies, he said.

Referring to the unveiling of the ‘Statue of Valour’ of legendary Ahom General Lachit Barphukan earlier at Hollongapar, the PM said this was a “tribute to his courage and is a symbol of our government’s recognition of the braveheart’.

‘Both Virasat and Vikas (heritage and development) is the mantra of our double-engine government and we are committed to the development of the state and North East’, he said.

Modi said the BJP government has also initiated expansion of the Digboi and Guwahati refineries which will double the capacities while the expansion of the Numaligarh refinery will treble its capacity.

“Modi considers the people of North East as his family members and several projects have been initiated for the development of the region’, he said.

It is indeed a memorable day that 5.5 lakh houses, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), were handed over to families in Assam on a single day whereas ‘earlier during the Congress rule, people did not even get a single house”, he said.

‘It is not that people have only got ownership of a pucca house, but they have got it with a toilet, gas and electricity connections and tap water supply’, Modi said.

In Assam, 18 lakh people have already got houses in their names with most of them registered in the names of women, he added.

‘It is our effort to make the lives of women better and to empower them further, we have decided to strengthen the Self Help Groups (SHGs)’, he added.

The presence of so many ‘lakhpati baideos’ at the meeting was also an example of how the lives of women have improved during the last ten years, he added.

He said the inauguration and foundation stone laying of medical colleges and hospitals in the state will soon make the region a hub for healthcare facilities.

The prime minister dedicated to the nation important projects like the 718km long Barauni-Guwahati Pipeline and a new medical Medical College and Hospital at Tinsukia.

He also dedicated to the nation important railway projects worth more than Rs 1,300 crore in Assam and laid the foundation stone of projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme including the Medical College and Hospital at Sivasagar and a Hemato-Lymphoid centre in Guwahati.

He also laid the foundation stone of important projects of oil and gas sector including capacity expansion of Digboi and Guwahati Refineries along with installation of Catalytic Reforming Unit (CRU) and augmentation of Facilities at Betkuchi (Guwahati) Terminal of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited.