Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described Assam as an emerging model for the Northeast's future, as he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 19,480 crore in the state, released PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi funds of over Rs 18,000 crore to farmers nationally, and kicked off the distribution of land pattas to tea garden workers.
"Let's work together for Viksit Assam so that Assam emerges as a model state in the nation. Assam is playing a major role in achieving the country's commitment related to renewable energy," Modi said, referring to the inauguration of the Lower Kopili Hydro Power Project, which he said would benefit the entire Northeast.
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The Prime Minister initiated the ceremonial distribution of land pattas to tea garden workers, as part of the Assam government's mission to provide titles to over three lakh workers across the state's tea gardens.
Modi said the land pattas would enable workers to access concrete houses through government schemes, and acknowledged that it is the labour of tea garden workers that has built Assam's global identity and made Indian tea a worldwide symbol.
In a personal note, the Prime Minister recalled his days as a tea seller in Gujarat, saying he had always felt indebted to Assam's tea labourers. "I feel I have repaid that debt by handing them land pattas," he said, contrasting the initiative with Congress's historical neglect of tea workers.
Modi released over Rs 18,000 crore under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to farmers across the country, describing it as part of the BJP government's decade-long commitment to building a protective shield around India's farming community.
He said that in ten years of Congress rule at the Centre, farmers received Rs 6.50 lakh crore as Minimum Support Price, while the BJP government had paid Rs 20 lakh crore in MSP over the same duration. "Even at this critical wartime, we've been providing a security shield to the farmers by ensuring timely payments and support for their crops," he said.
Modi said the BJP's development focus on the Northeast had resonated beyond the region, suggesting that people in West Bengal were also now looking towards a BJP government in their state. "With this motto of developing the Northeast, the people of West Bengal also want a BJP government in their state," he said.