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Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of several development projects, in Itanagar on Saturday.[/caption]
Itanagar, Feb. 9 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid foundation stone of projects in Arunachal Pradesh worth over INR 4,000 crore and said his government was giving a lot of importance to improve connectivity in the sensitive border state.
Addressing at function at the IG Park in Itanagar, he said his government was giving importance to improve the highway, railway, airway and power situation in Arunachal Pradesh, which he alleged was neglected by the previous governments.
Terming the state the “pride” of the country, Modi said it is the gateway to the nation as it guards the frontier. It is the duty of the government to develop the state at any cost, he said.
“Arunachal is a symbol of faith for the country as it gives us strength. The people used to greet each other with ‘Jai Hind’ and I salute the people for their patriotism,” the prime minister said adding, India will develop only if Arunachal and the entire northeast develops.
“In the past 55 months, I have paid several visits to Arunachal Pradesh and today inaugurated and laid foundation of projects worth over INR 4,000 crore,” he said.
The prime minister said work is going on for projects worth INR 13,000 crore in the state and alleged that the previous regime neglected the northeast region.
Modi added that his government has allocated INR 44,000 crore for the region which is double the amount the previous UPA government did.
The previous governments did not care about youth and border security, he claimed.
Modi laid the foundation stone for construction of greenfield Airport at Hollongi and inaugurated an upgraded and retrofitted airport at Tezu in Lohit district at a worth of Rs 125 crore through remote control at a function at IG Park.
The Tezu airport will connect Guwahati, Jorhat and Hollongi. Fruit and flowers of the region can reach any market of the country in a few hours, he said.
The prime minister also laid the foundation stone of Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh. It will provide all-weather connectivity to the Tawang Valley for civilians as well as security forces. The tunnel will reduce travel time to Tawang by an hour and boost tourism and related economic activities in the region.
He inaugurated a new Doordarshan 24-hours channel for Arunachal Pradesh. The DD Arun Prabha channel will be a 24th channel operated by Doordarshan.
The PM expressed hope the channel will act as an ambassador of the culture of the state and will familiarize people across India with the beauty and culture of Arunachal.
The prime minister also dedicated to the nation the 110-MW Pare Hydroelectric Plant.
The hydro elected project constructed by NEEPCO will harness hydro power potential of the river Dikrong (tributary of Brahmaputra) and provide cheap hydro electric power to the northeastern states, thereby improving power availability in the region.
Modi also declared 100% household electrification in Arunachal Pradesh under Saubhagya Scheme.
He also laid the foundation stone for a permanent campus of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Jote. He said the institute will not only will present new avenues and opportunities to the youngsters but also be a boost for the expression of the culture of the state.
The permanent campus of FTII will come up at Jollang-Rakap (Jote), Papum Pare. This is a third Film and Television Institute of Ministry of I&B, the first two being FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata.
The prime minister inaugurated 50 health and wellness centres in the state also through a remote at the function at IG Park here.
“In this year budget we have introduced a new scheme PM Kishan Sanman Nidhi, under which an amount of INR 6000 will be deposited to the account of the farmers per year who have only five acres of cultivable land in order to support them,” Modi said and assured all possible support to the state.
He said the development trajectory of the state is taking at a faster pace with NDA and Pema Khandu-led BJP government in the state are working in close coordination.
The PM said under the UDAN scheme, steps were being taken to provide service of civilian aircraft at a lower cost in the state and road projects worth 50,000 crore are going on which will connect about 1,000 villages.
“In several places of the state, survey is going on for construction of railway lines out and the survey was completed in three places,” he said.
The government is also laying stress on power generation and accordingly sanctioned an amount of INR 3,000 crore to erect transmission lines to be connected in the grid.
Modi also laid the stones of seven 132/33 KV and 24 33/11 KV electric substations under Comprehensive Scheme.
On a whirlwind tour of the Northeast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday addressed rallies in three states, assuring that the citizenship bill won’t harm the interests of the people of the region but will provide succour to those who have “embraced the idea and ethos of Mother India”.
Visiting the northeast for the first time after the bill was passed by Lok Sabha on January 8, Modi crisscrossed Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Tripura during the day and unveiled several projects.
At a meeting of party leaders of four north-eastern states, the National Peoples Party (NPP) adopted a resolution to oppose the bill and break its ties with the NDA if it is passed,” NPP president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said.
Addressing a rally at Changsari in the assembly constituency of Assam Health minister and BJP-led NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma, Modi said, “It is a national commitment to the people of the Northeast that they will not be harmed in any way and citizenship will be only granted after due investigations and recommendations of the state governments.”
It must be understood that there is a difference between those who forcefully entered the country and those who were “forced to flee their homes to save their lives due to their religion. Both are not the same”, he said.
“We are committed to providing shelter to those minorities - Hindus, Christians, Parsis, Jains and Sikhs- in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who had to leave everything due to atrocities inflicted on them. They have come to our country and have embraced the idea and ethos of Mother India,” the prime minister added.
He also alleged that there are certain sections which have taken the country to the path of ruin and are now trying to “mislead people on the citizenship issue for their self interests leading to misunderstanding. It is necessary to know these people who sit in Delhi and oppose us in Parliament. They should have come here today to see what the reality is”. Modi said that the BJP was fully committed to implement the 36-year old Assam Accord and a committee on the implementation of the Clause 6 of the Accord is a step in that direction.
Without naming the Congress, Modi alleged that it was “not sincere in implementing the accord”.
“The accord was signed 36 years ago but is yet to be implemented. They have done injustice to the people of Assam. Let me assure you that our government will implement the accord in letter and spirit,” he added.
Referring to the problem of infiltration, Modi said his government was committed to complete the work of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is being conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court, within the stipulated period.