Team Blitz India
GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 11,000 crore in Guwahati, Assam on February 4. Among other things, the projects aim to boost sports and medical infrastructure and connectivity.
He said that the development projects will boost Assam’s connectivity to the North Eastern states as well as neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia while also boosting employment in the tourism sector and creating new opportunities for sporting talent in the state. Recalling his recent visits to multiple pilgrimage sites, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for arriving before Maa Kamakhya and laying the foundation stone of Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana. Throwing light on the concept and scope of the project, PM Modi informed that upon completion, it will further increase ease of access and comfort for the devotees while also giving a boost to the footfall. “Assam will become the gateway to tourism in the North East with an increase in the footfall of devotees for Maa Kamakhya’s darshan”, the Prime Minister said as he lauded the efforts of the state government and Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Highlighting the significance of Indian pilgrimage sites and temples, the Prime Minister emphasised that these places symbolise an indelible mark of our civilisation over thousands of years, showcasing how Bharat has held on to every crisis it has faced. We have witnessed how the civilisations which were considered to be prosperous in the past, now stand in ruins.
PM Modi lamented the post-Independence governments for starting a trend of being ashamed of one’s own culture and identity for political gains and failing to understand the importance of Bharat’s holy places. He said that it has been rectified in the past 10 years with the help of policies focussing on both ‘vikas’ (development) and ‘virasat’ (heritage).
Explaining the benefits of these policies for the people of Assam, PM Modi stressed the importance of connecting historical and spiritual places in the state with modern facilities, a move aimed at preserving these sites and accelerating development. Noting the expansion of prominent educational institutes like IIT and IIM, he said earlier they used to be set up in big cities only. However, now a network of IITs, IIMs and AIIMs has spread across the country with the total number of medical colleges in Assam, which earlier stood at 6, increasing to 12. He also asserted that the state will gradually become a hub for cancer treatment in the North East.
