Modi announces Rs.4,815 cr worth projects for Manipur

January 5, 2022 21 Views No Comment

PTI IMPHAL, JAN 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived Imphal amid total shutdown call by CorCom, an umbrella organisation of Manipur based-militants, laid the foundation stone for 22 development projects worth Rs 4,815 crore in election-bound Manipur.

In his address, Modi accused the previous governments in New Delhi of neglecting Manipur and the Northeast and creating a “hill-valley chasm” and added that the BJP aims to make Northeast the driver of India’s growth story.

“The previous governments in Delhi neglected Manipur and the entire Northeast, conspired to create a chasm between the hills and the valleys. Today, there is no fire of extremism and violence. We have brought in a new light of peace and development,” he told a public meeting in Imphal. He reiterated that the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state ushered in a new dawn of peace and development

Modi alleged the earlier governments left Manipur and other North-Eastern states to their own devices, resulting in alienation of people. He said ever since he became the prime minister, sustained efforts were made to “narrow the distance”.

He claimed that the northeast, which Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose termed as the gateway to India’s independence, was becoming the gateway to fulfilling the dreams of a new India after the BJP-led NDA government came to power at the Centre. The eastern and northeastern region will be the source of India’s progress and this is visible in the growth of the region today, Modi said. He said that after historic peace accords signed by the Centre, Manipur once a blockade state has now become a state giving way to international trade.

Hitting out at the policy of the previous governments, Modi said they did not ‘Look East’ but looked at the east only during the elections. Modi said his government has resolved to ‘Act East’, adding that it was their commitment to develop the region.

North East being blessed with rich natural resources, Modi said it had immense potential to develop and also promote tourism. He said work is now being done to realize these possibilities in the Northeast.

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Kicking off the BJP’s campaign for the assembly elections, Modi inaugurated an Integrated Command and Control Centre for the Imphal Smart City Mission, development of western river front on Imphal river, an industrial training institute (ITI) and a 200-bed semi-permanent Covid hospital, among others.

Modi also laid the foundation stone of five national highway construction projects, government residential quarters, Manipur Institute of Performing Arts, Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training, the biggest PPP initiative in Manipur, a state-of-the-art cancer hospital, besides several other projects. These projects are aimed at development of infrastructure and connectivity, skilling and employment of youth, renovation of places of historic and spiritual importance, and improvement of healthcare facilities.

Modi reeled off data to highlight how central schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana had benefited the state’s population. “Your one vote changed things for the better. That’s the importance of a ‘double engine’ government. Today, a stable and strong BJP-led government of N Biren Singh helms Manipur, while five ministers from the Northeast are handling important portfolios at the Centre,” he said.

He asked the people of Manipur to resolve not to allow the state to “slip into darkness once again”. “We have to preserve this stability and take Manipur to newer heights of development,” he said.