Laid strong foundation in 100 days for developed India: Amit Shah

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) The government on Tuesday asserted that it laid a strong foundation in its first 100 days for a developed India, citing investments to the tune of Rs 15 lakh crore in diverse sectors such as infrastructure and agriculture to create employment opportunities.

In the first 100 days of the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi steps were being taken to address the ethnic strife in Manipur and also conduct the census which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Addressing a press conference here marking the 100 days of the third term of the Modi government, Home Minister Amit Shah said the government has started work on projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore and taken steps to strengthen the nation’s internal and external security.

Flanked by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shah asserted that after running a government dedicated to India’s development, security and welfare of the poor for 10 consecutive years, the people of the country have given Prime Minister Modi the mandate to form the government for a third consecutive time.

Shah said that Modi has brought radical changes in education by introducing the new education policy which incorporated the ancient educational values.

Shah also asserted that the government will implement its ambitious plans of holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies within this tenure.

He said preparations were also afoot to conduct the census and an official announcement in this regard will be made soon.

The home minister said metro rail projects worth Rs 30,700 crore were approved in the first 100 days of the government to enhance connectivity and reduce travel time.

Shah said 12 industrial corridors with an investment of Rs 28,600 crore have been approved to give a boost to India’s journey of becoming a global manufacturing hub.

The home minister said in the last 10 years, the Modi government has provided homes, toilets, gas connections, drinking water, electricity, five kilograms of free grains, and healthcare facilities up to Rs five lakh to 60 crore poor people every year.

“Our goal is that by the next elections, no person in this country shall be without a home,” Shah said.

On the ethnic violence in Manipur, the home minister said the government was talking to both the Meitei and Kuki communities to ensure lasting peace and has begun fencing the country’s border with Myanmar to check infiltration, which was the root cause for the trouble.

Shah said that barring three days of violence last week, the overall situation in Manipur has been calm and the government has been working to restore peace in the restive northeastern state.

“We are talking to the Kuki and Meitei groups. We have prepared a roadmap and will take all possible steps (to ensure peace),” he said.

He said in the first 100 days of the Modi 3.0 government, work on fencing the India-Myanmar border, which is the root cause of the problem, has begun.

The home minister said the government has already scrapped the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed people residing close to the border between the two countries to venture up to 16 km into each other’s territory without any documents.

Shah said the government has implemented several farmer-friendly policies with focus on improving agricultural productivity and exports.

Listing works initiated for the welfare of farmers, he also said the Modi government has launched a fund to support startups and rural enterprises, driving agricultural innovation.

The minister said the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has been expanded to enhance agricultural infrastructure and support to farmers, and Rs 14,200 crore has been allocated across seven schemes to improve farmers’ lives and livelihoods.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Union Minister for Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi also addressed the media to highlight their ministries’ achievements in the first 100 days in office.

Shah said the government has announced plans for capital expenditure to the tune of Rs 11.11 lakh crore which will create new employment opportunities for youth and strengthen infrastructure.

Shah said that under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, more than 90 lakh self-help groups have been formed by organising more than 10 crore women.

He said that under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, more than one crore women were earning Rs 1 lakh annually and living their lives with respect.