“Vikas bhi aur Virasat bhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
(Development as well as
Heritage) has been the
mantra of our double
engine Government”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has described as an all-weather friend stood to that billing when he inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid foundation stones for multiple development projects worth more than ₹17,500 cr at a mammoth rally in Jorhat on March 9. These development projects encompass the areas of health, oil and gas, rail and housing.
Thanking the people, the Prime Minister said that their love is his biggest asset. Ahead of his visit to Assam, the people of Bokakhat in Golaghat district on the evening of March 7 lighted 1 lakh earthen lamps to welcome him to the State.
Mr Modi laid the foundation stone for projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme, including a medical college & hospital at Sivasagar and a Hemato-Lymphoid Centre at B Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati, through the virtual mode besides laying the foundation stone for important projects in the oil and gas sector, including the capacity expansion of Digboi Refinery from 0.65 to 1 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum); Guwahati Refinery Expansion (1.0 to 1.2 MMTPA) along with installation of Catalytic Reforming Unit (CRU); and augmentation of facilities at Betkutchi (Guwahati) terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited ( IOCL), all through the virtual mode.
Mr Modi dedicated to the nation a new medical college and hospital at Tinsukia; and a 718-km long Barauni-Guwahati Pipeline (part of Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project) built at a cost of about ₹3,992 cr, among others. The Prime Minister symbolically inaugurated about 5.5 lakh homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), constructed at a total cost of about ₹8,450 cr.
He dedicated to the nation important railway projects worth more than ₹1,300 cr in Assam, including Dhupdhara-Chhaygaon section (part of New Bongaigaon – Guwahati Via Goalpara Doubling Project) and New Bongaigaon – Sorbhog Section (part of New Bongaigaon – Agthori -Doubling Project).
“Vikas bhi aur Virasat bhi’ (Development as well as Heritage) has been the mantra of our double engine Government,” said the Prime Minister in his speech. He lauded Assam for making rapid strides in infrastructure, health and energy sectors. “Health infrastructure like AIIMS, a medical college in Tinsukia, Sivasagar medical college and a Cancer Hospital in Jorhat will make Assam a medical hub for the entire North East,” PM Modi asserted.
The Prime Minister added that the gas pipeline will connect the North Eastern grid with the national grid and help supply gas to 30 lakh homes and more than 600 CNG stations, thereby benefiting people from more than 30 districts of Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.
Speaking about the inauguration of the expansion of Digboi Refinery and Guwahati Refinery, he said that with the efforts of his Government, the total capacity of refineries in Assam will now double while that of Numaligarh Refinery will triple. “Development of any region takes place at a fast pace when intentions for development are strong,” he said.
The Prime Minister congratulated 5.5 lakh families who got their pucca houses on the day. He said that these houses are fitted with amenities like toilets, gas connections, electricity and piped-water connection. He said that 18 lakh families in Assam have been provided such houses which are predominantly in the name of women.
He also reiterated his commitment of creating three crore Lakhpati Didis in the country.
Highlighting the historic transformations that took place in Assam after 2014, the Prime Minister mentioned providing land rights to more than 2.5 lakh landless natives and connecting about eight lakh tea garden workers with the banking system.
