India has an opportunity to move forward with confidence leaving the despair of the past: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Rajasthan’ program via video conferencing today. The Prime Minister inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore. The projects cater to several important sectors including Roads, Railways, Solar Energy, Power Transmission, Drinking water and Petroleum & Natural Gas.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted the association of lakhs of people from all constituencies of Rajasthan with ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Rajasthan’ program and thanked them for their presence. He also congratulated the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for making excellent use of technology to bring together all beneficiaries under one roof. Highlighting the qualities of the people of Rajasthan, PM Modi recalled the reception of French President, Mr Emanuel Macron in Rajasthan a few days ago and said that its echoes were heard not only around India but also in France. Prime Minister Modi also recalled the blessings of the people when he visited the state during the Vidhan Sabha elections in Rajasthan while also reaffirming the faith in ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ leading to the formation of a double-engine government. He congratulated the people of Rajasthan for the development projects of today worth Rs 17,000 crores in the sectors of Roads, Railways, Solar Energy, Power Transmission, Drinking water and Petroleum & Natural Gas, and said that it will create numerous employment opportunities in the state. 

Recalling his call from the ramparts of the Red Fort ‘Yeh hi Samay Hai- Sahi Samay Hai’, the Prime Minister termed the present time as a golden period and said that now India can move forward with full confidence, leaving behind the despair of previous decades. He said as opposed to the talk of scams, insecurity and terrorism before 2014, now we are focussed on the goal of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Rajasthan. “Today we are taking big resolutions and dreaming big and we are devoting ourselves to achieve them”, PM Modi added. He further said, “When I talk about Viksit Bharat, it is not just a word or an emotion but it is a campaign to make the life of every family prosperous.” He added that Viksit Bharat is a campaign to remove poverty, create quality jobs and create modern facilities in the country. Drawing on her interactions with the global leaders in his foreign visit from which he returned yesterday, PM Modi highlighted that the world leaders are accepting that India can dream big and achieve those dreams. 

“Development of a Viksit Rajasthan is imperative to the development of Viksit Bharat’, the Prime Minister remarked, underlining the need for fast-paced development of essential sectors of rail, road, electricity and water. He said that the development of such sectors will hugely benefit the farmers, animal keepers, industries and tourism among others while also bringing in new investments and employment opportunities to the state. The Prime Minister informed that in this year’s Union Budget, a record Rs 11 lakh crores have been allocated for infrastructure development which is 6 times more than any previous government. PM Modi underlined that the expenditure will hugely benefit the cement, stones and ceramics industries. 

The Prime Minister mentioned unprecedented investment in the rural roads, highways and expressways in Rajasthan in the last 10 years. He said that today Rajasthan is getting connected with the coastal areas of Gujarat Maharashtra to Punjab via broad highways. Today’s projects will improve connectivity in Kota, Udaipur, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Boondi, Ajmer, Bhilwara and Chittorgarh. These roads will also ensure better connectivity with Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra. 

Talking about the electrification, revamp and repair works for Railways that were part of today’s event, the Prime Minister said that doubling of  Bandikui-Agra Fort rail line will ease access to Mehndipur Balaji and Agra. Similarly, he said, Khatipura (Jaipur) station will enable plying of more trains. 

Prime Minister Modi emphasized the efforts of the government to enable the citizens to produce solar electricity in their own homes while also creating income by selling the extra electricity. Shri Modi highlighted the initiation of PM Surya Ghar Yojna or free electricity scheme where the government will arrange 300 units of free electricity. He informed that the Central Government will provide financial assistance for setting up solar panels on the terrace to 1 crore households initially where the total outlay of the project will be around Rs 75,000 crores. He underlined that middle-class and lower-middle-class society will benefit the most from this. He further added that banks will also facilitate easy disbursal of loans. “In Rajasthan, the government has planned to install solar panels in 5 lakh houses”, Shri Modi said highlighting the efforts of the double-engine government in reducing the expenditure of the poor and middle class.

The Prime Minister reiterated the focus on the development of the four sections i.e. youth, women, Kisan and the poor. “These are the 4 biggest castes for us and I am happy that the double-engine government is fulfilling the guarantees given by Modi for the empowerment of these sections”, he said. He noted 70 thousand jobs proposed in the first Budget of the new Rajasthan Government. He also praised the new state government for the formation of SIT for paper leak incidents. He also informed about the stringent new central law against paper leaks which will work as a deterrent. 

The Prime Minister touched upon the state government’s guarantee to provide gas cylinders to poor families at Rs 450 and said that it has benefitted lakhs of women from Rajasthan. Pointing out the scams in Jal Jeevan Mission during the previous government, Shri Modi underlined that work has now taken up at a rapid pace. He informed that the existing financial assistance of Rs 6,000 under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for the farmers of Rajasthan has been increased by Rs 2,000. “We are fulfilling our promises one by one in every field. We are serious about our guarantees. That’s why people say – Modi’s guarantee means guarantee of fulfilment”, the Prime Minister reaffirmed. 

Speaking about the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Prime Minister said, “Modi’s effort is to ensure that every beneficiary gets their entitlements quickly and no one is deprived.” He noted the participation of crores of citizens from Rajasthan where free health checkups for nearly 3 crore people have been carried out, 1 crore new Ayushman cards have been made, 15 lakh farmers have registered for Kisan Credit Card, around 6.5 lakh farmers have applied for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. The Prime Minister further added that around 8 lakh women have registered for Ujjwala gas connection where 2.25 lakh connections have already been issued during this period. He also mentioned that 16 lakh people from Rajasthan have joined the insurance schemes of Rs 2 lakh each.

The Prime Minister pointed towards the forces that promote an atmosphere of despair and refrain from celebrating the successes of the country. He also cautioned against dynasty politics. He said such politics does not inspire the youth. Referring to the dreams and aspirations of the first-time voters, the Prime Minister said that such youth “is standing with the vision of Viksit Bharat’. The vision of Viksit Rajasthan and Viksit Bharat is for such first-time voters.”

Governor of Rajasthan, Shri Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Rajasthan, Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, other Ministers of the Rajasthan Government, MPs, MLAs and local-level representatives among others joined on the occasion.