Assam & NE will be the India's New Growth Engines, Says PM Modi

SILAPATHAR:

New Growth Engine Assam & Northeast: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation three mega projects worth Rs 3,222 crore from here in Dhemaji district on Monday. The projects include three gas-and-oil-based ones. He also virtually inaugurated the Dhemaji Engineering College and laid the foundation stone for Sualkuchi Engineering College in Assam.

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the INDMAX Unit at Indian Oil's Bongaigaon Refinery, Oil India Limited's Secondary Tank Farm at Madhuban, Dibrugarh and a Gas Compressor Station at Hebeda Village, Makum in Tinsukia district remotely from Dhemaji district.

The Dhemaji Engineering College has been built on 276 bighas of land, at the cost of about Rs 45 crore. It is the seventh Government Engineering College in the State. It will offer B.Tech courses in Civil, Mechanical and Computer Science. The Sualkuchi Engineering College, whose foundation stone was laid, will be built on 116 bighas of land at a cost of about Rs 55 crore.

Addressing the massive gathering at the event here, Prime Minister Modi said that the North East including Assam will be the new growth engine of India; and he is inspired to work more for the people of Assam.

The Prime Minister said that the Centre and Assam government are working together for the all-round development of the State and maximum welfare of the people. Asserting the need to continue with the double engine of Centre and State government to expedite development in Assam, he said, "The Assam government is taking forward all sectors and would soon implement the national education policy whereby the local people will be able to get medical and engineering education in the local language."

Modi said, "Those who ruled for decades since Independence believed Dispur was too distant from Delhi. 'Dilli ab door nahi, aapke darwaaze par hai' (Delhi is not faraway now; it stands at your doorstep. The earlier governments adopted a step-motherly approach to Assam's north bank (of Brahmaputra River) and neglected connectivity, health, education, infrastructure and industry."

He recalled how the North Bank in the Brahmaputra gave birth to Assamese cinema eight decades ago with the film – "Joymoti". He added that this region has produced many personalities that enhanced the pride of Assam's culture. He also said that the Central and State Governments are working together for the balanced development of Assam and the major basis of this is the State's infrastructure.

Criticizing the Opposition, the Prime Minister said that in spite of the great potential in the North Bank, the earlier governments gave the region a step-motherly treatment and did not prioritize the requirements of connectivity, hospitals, industries, and institutions of education for this region.

He added that the Government is working on the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas' and has overcome this discrimination. He further listed the infrastructure projects in Assam which were inaugurated by the Government.

He said that the energy and education infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 3,000 crore are launched in this region. He said these projects will strengthen the identity of the region as a hub of energy and education and would act as a symbol of Assam.

The Prime Minister stressed the necessity for India to continuously become self-sufficient, to increase its strength and also its capabilities. He said over the years, the refining capacity in India has greatly increased, especially at the Bongaigaon Refinery.

He added the gas unit plant launched today is going to increase the capacity of LPG production and will make life easier for the people in Assam and Northeast. It will also increase employment opportunities for the youth in this region.

He also said that the Government has freed the poor sisters and daughters from the suffering they had to endure owing to the smoke from wood in their kitchens through the Ujjwala scheme. He said that today, gas connectivity in Assam has reached almost 100 percent. He highlighted that in the Union Budget this time, a provision has been made to provide free 'Ujjwala' LPG connection to 1 crore poor sisters.

The Prime Minister said poor people suffer the most from the lack of gas connection, electricity connection and fertilizer. He said out of the 18,000 villages that did not have electricity even after seven decades of Independence, most of them were from Assam and the Northeast and the Government has worked on rectifying this.

He added several fertilizer industries in the region were either shut down or declared ill due to lack of gas, thereby adversely affecting the poor, needy and the middle class.

Prime Minister Modi said that under the 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana', eastern India is being connected to one of the world's largest gas pipeline networks.

The Prime Minister said a strong talent pool of our scientists, engineers and technicians plays a major role in giving impetus to 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat'. In the past years, we were working to create an environment in the country, where the youth of the country can solve the problems with start ups. Today, the whole world is recognizing India's engineers. The youth of Assam have amazing potential. The State government is working hard to increase this capacity.

Due to the efforts of the Government of Assam, today there are more than 20 engineering colleges in the State. Today, this position has been strengthened by the inauguration of Dhemaji Engineering College and the foundation stone of Sualkuchi Engineering College. He announced that the work on three more engineering colleges is going on. He said the Assam Government is trying to implement the 'New Education Policy' at the earliest. This will benefit the people of Assam, especially the children of tea garden workers, and the Scheduled Tribes as the medium of education will be the local language.

The Prime Minister said Assam is known world over for tea, handlooms and tourism. Self-Reliance will increase the strength and capabilities of the people of Assam. Tea production will strengthen the vision of a self-reliant Assam. He said in such a situation, when the youth here learn these skills in school and college itself, it will be of great benefit. He added in this year's budget, a provision has been made to open hundreds of the new 'Eklavya'- model schools in the tribal areas, which will also benefit Assam.

The Prime Minister said the State and Central government are working together for the farmers of Assam to increase their potential and their income. He said a major scheme of Rs 20,000 crore has also been made for the farmers in the Fisheries sector, which will also benefit the people of Assam. He added the government's effort is that the produce of the farmers in Assam should reach the international market. He also said that the tea gardens in the North Bank also play a major role in Assam's economy.

He lauded the Assam government for launching a campaign to lease land to small tea growers. He said now the need of the people in Assam is to strengthen the double engine of development and progress.

While addressing the gathering Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that development in Assam and the Northeast received a significant impetus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed the leadership of the country. Saying that development of eastern India would not be possible without the growth of Northeast, the Union Minister said that many governments came to power earlier and even a representative from Assam became the Prime Minister of the country but no sincere step was taken for realizing the State's potential in the Oil & Natural Gas sector.

However, today as a result of the goodwill of the Prime Minister, investments to the tune of Rs 95 crore in the Petroleum sector of Assam became possible opening new job opportunities, he said, adding that oil royalty worth Rs 6,000 crore was released to Assam by the NDA government. He added that Rs 95,000 crore will be invested for the oil and gas projects initiated in Assam by the Prime Minister on Monday. (PIB)

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