“The next 25 years are very crucial for 130 crore Indians”, said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Launching several developmental programmes in Himachal Pradeshon Thursday, he said “India’s Azadi ka Amrit Kaal has begun during which we have to accomplish the goal of making India a developed country”.
Stating that in the coming few months, 75 years of the establishment of Himachal are also going to be completed, he said that is, when India celebrates 100 years of independence, Himachal will also celebrate 100 years of its establishment. That is why every day of the coming 25 years is very important for us, he added.
Prime Minister recalled the days when Himachal Pradesh had little influence in Delhi and its demands and requests were ignored resulting in important places of faith and natural beauty like Chamba, lagging behind in the development race.
Modi informed that special attention was paid to it as Aspirational District as he was aware of the strengths of Chamba. He also expressed happiness about children from Kerala coming to Himachal in the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
He noted that Himachal today realizes the strength of the double-engine government which has doubled the pace of development in the state. He remarked that the previous governments would provide services to only those areas where the burden of work and stress remained low and political benefits were high. As a result, the development rate of remote and tribal areas remained fairly low.
“Be it roads, electricity or water, the people of such areas were the last ones to receive benefits”, Modi said, “The working style of double-engine government is different from the rest. Our priority is how to make people’s lives easier. That’s why we are giving maximum emphasis on tribal areas, and hilly areas.”
He listed measures like providing gas connections, piped water, health services, Ayushman Bharat, and road connectivity that are changing lives in remote and hilly areas. “If we are making wellness centres in the villages, at the same time, we are opening medical colleges too in the districts”, he emphasized. He also mentioned how Himachal was prioritized in vaccination in order to protect tourism. Modi complimented the Chief Minister and his team for reaching cent per cent vaccination the fastest in the country.
Modi laid the foundation stone of two hydropower projects and launched Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III in Chamba. Earlier, he laid the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park and dedicated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una to the nation, today. He also flagged off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura, Una to New Delhi.