PM Narendra Modi,
Credit: PTI Photo
Itanagar/Jorhat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled projects worth Rs 55,600 crore for the development of the Northeast and accused the Congress of neglecting the region and compromising the nation's security by ignoring the border areas.
The Prime Minister, after dedicating to the nation the strategically significant Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, accused the Congress of neglecting development in the state as there are only two Lok Sabha seats and asserted that he does not work by counting the number of Parliament seats from a state.
Modi addressed public meetings in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam after unveiling projects to the tune of Rs 55,600 crore for six Northeastern states at Itanagar and Rs 17,500 crore at Jorhat as he made a strong election pitch for his party in the region.
The Prime Minister, who was on a two-day visit to the region, began his day on Saturday by visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site Kaziranga National Park and enjoyed both the elephant and jeep safari before leaving for Itanagar. Later, he returned to Assam and unveiled the 'Statue of Valour' of legendary Ahom General Lachit Barphukan at Hollongapar in the state.
Attacking the Congress, he said the previous government could have built the tunnel earlier but it did not. The Congress policy has been "not to develop the border areas and keep the armed forces weak", but ''we believe in building a strong nation'', Modi said at a public rally in Itanagar.
''Modi does not work on the basis of the number of parliamentary seats but on the requirements of the state to make the nation strong," the Prime Minister said.
He assured the people of Sela and Tawang that he would visit them after winning the Lok Sabha elections.
The Rs 825-crore tunnel, constructed on the road connecting Assam's Tezpur to West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, is being billed as the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world at 13,000 ft.
The tunnel will provide a faster and more efficient transport route in the region and is of strategic importance to the country as it is located near the frontier with China.
The Prime Minister further said the Congress would have taken 20 years to do the kind of development work which was executed by his government in the last five years in the Northeast.
He also launched a new industrial development scheme for the region, named UNNATI (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation).
The scheme will strengthen the industrial ecosystem in the Northeast, attract new investment, help set up new manufacturing and services units and give a boost to employment.
The scheme, worth Rs 10,000 crore, is fully funded by the Centre and covers all eight Northeastern states. It will provide incentives for capital investment, interest subvention and a manufacturing and services linked incentive to approved units.
"The Northeast is going to become a strong link in India's trade, tourism and other relations with South Asia and East Asia. Today projects worth over Rs 55,000 crore have been unveiled here," he said at Itanagar.
The Prime Minister said that one can clearly see what "Modi's guarantee" means if they visit Arunachal Pradesh.
He also said that when he was working for the development of the country, leaders of the opposition bloc INDIA were "attacking" him.
Continuing his tirade against the Congress at Jorhat, Modi asserted that Northeast's development is crucial to fulfil the objective of 'Viksit Bharat' but the previous government had neglected the region for decades since independence.
''During the Congress rule, foundation stones of many development projects were laid, the 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 said.
''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 that in the morning he had visited the Kaziranga National Park, and 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', the PM said that 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) was the mantra of our double-engine government and we are committed to the development of the state and North East'', he added.
Referring to the opposition leaders questioning Modi's family, the Prime Minister said the entire northeast and the country is his family.
The PM unveiled the projects spread across Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh at a programme in Itanagar.
The development projects in Arunachal Pradesh, included the foundation stone for the highest dam in the country, the Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in the Lower Dibang Valley district, several roads, environment and tourism projects and the upgradation of schools.
He also inaugurated about 1,100 projects of Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, and 170 telecom towers under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) benefiting more than 300 villages.
Modi handed over more than 35,000 houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
He also visited a tea garden near the Park and said the tea produced in Assam has made its way all over the world.
He lauded the ''remarkable tea garden community, which is working hard and enhancing Assam's prestige all over the world. I also urge tourists to visit these tea gardens during their visits to the state''.
In Jorhat, besides unveiling the 125-ft high statue of the legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation important projects like the 718 km Barauni-Guwahati Pipeline and a new medical Medical College and Hospital at Tinsukia.