CHENNAI, April 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the government’s work culture, vision, speed and scale had revolutionized infrastructure projects in the country.
Without naming the previous Congress governments, Modi said since the days of delay, infrastructure projects are now being delivered even before time, and added that Tamil Nadu has bagged a good number of essential sector projects.
Inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for several infrastructure projects – airport, railway and road projects – worth around Rs 5,200 crore here, Modi said the country is undergoing a revolution in infrastructure projects driven by speed and scale.
Referring to the Rs 10 crore appropriation in the budget for infrastructure projects, Modi said it was five times more than what was allocated in 2014.
He said that before 2014 only 600 km of railway lines were electrified annually, now it is 4,000 km annually. In the case of the airport, before 2014 there were only 74 airports, and after that year – after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the center under its leadership – the number doubled to 150 airports.
Modi said that speed and scale are not only limited to the implementation of primary sector projects but also in social sector work. He said the number of medical colleges in the country had increased to 660 from 380 in 2014 and the number of AIIMS hospitals had tripled.
He said that six kilometers of fiber optic cables had been laid to connect two village panchayats which had resulted in having more internet users in rural areas of India than in urban areas of India.
In addition, Modi said his government believes that infrastructure projects are not just a mix of concrete but have a human face – as they will give the economy a boost and lift up many families.
Stating that the development of Tamil Nadu is a big priority for his government, Modi added that the state secured an appropriation of Rs 6,000 crore for railway projects this year while the average amount apportioned between 2009-2014 was less than Rs 900 crore annually.
Similarly, between 2004 and 2014, the state had a national highway of 800 km, while after 2014 the length increased to nearly 2,000 km, according to Modi.
He also said that the allocation of national highway projects in Tamil Nadu has increased six-fold to Rs. 8,200 crore in 2022-23 as compared to 2014-15.
Modi went on to say that the state of Tamil Nadu has witnessed many new infrastructure projects such as the Defense Industrial Corridor, Mega Textile Park, Chennai-Bangalore Expressway and other projects that are boosting the economic growth of the state.
Referring to the Vande Bharat train designed, developed and built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here, Modi said Made in India is rooted in the state that is the land of freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai.
Before the country gained independence, the late Pillai ran the first Swadeshi shipping service against the British who were ruling the country at that time.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged the central government to speed up the ongoing road and railway projects.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said more airports would be built in the coming years.
The event was attended by the Governor of Tamil Nadu R.
– Jans
vj / United Kingdom /
