‘Coming five years will see rapid development’
| Date :29-Feb-2024 |
Yavatmal Correspondent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, asserted that the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will cross the 400-seat mark in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and said that the next five years will see rapid development in the country. Sounding the bugle for BJP’s poll campaign from “lucky Yavatmal”, the PM launched a slew of projects. The Parliamentary polls are likely to be held in April-May. The Prime Minister dedicated-launched development project-schemes worth around Rs 35,000 crore for Maharashtra in the presence of Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, and other dignitaries. Addressing a massive gathering of women, the PM recalled his pre-poll trips to Yavatmal- in 2014 for a ‘Chai pe charcha’ after which the NDA got 300 Parliamentary seats, and later in 2019, when the ruling alliance went over 350 seats.
PM Modi said that like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Government has been working with a mission for the Contd from page 1 country, and whatever is being done is the foundation for the progress in the next 25 years. The Prime Minister said he had taken a vow to take development to each and every remote corner and dedicate himself full time for the mission. The PM said that for progress, there is a need to consider four sections of society - the poor, farmers, youth and the women- and today, he had done this by dedicating or launching schemes/projects worth thousands of crores of rupees to them and helping improving their lives. Government has also given rail, road and other infra projects for better connectivity for the Vidarbha region, he said. Modi slammed the Congress party over pending irrigation projects in the country, especially in Vidarbha. “The coming five years will see rapid development,” the Prime Minister maintained. He attacked former Union Minister Sharad Pawar and said that when he handled the agriculture portfolio in the Congress-led UPA Government financial packages would be announced for farmers, but the money would be siphoned off before it could reach the beneficiaries.
“The Government announced big packages but it was ‘looted’ midway and the poor, tribals and farmers got nothing. Today, I just pressed one button and Rs 21,000 crore went straight to the bank accounts of thousands of farmers. Earlier, of a similar amount, Rs 18,000 crores would have been ‘looted’ en route, but now the poor get their full money, it’s my guarantee that all beneficiaries will get every paise in their bank accounts,” PM said. The PM also said that prior to 2014, of the 100 families, only 15 had access to piped water in the country. “Before 2014, there was a water crisis in all villages. From 1947 till 2014, barely 15 per cent of the villagers had tap-water connections at home. After 2014, we launched the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ guarantee, and now almost 75 per cent village homes get piped water supply at their homes. In Maharashtra earlier there were only 50,000 water taps in village homes, now around 1.25 crore people have it,” said PM Modi.
He said that today, Maharashtra farmers got Rs 3,800 crore and 11 crore farmers in the country have got Rs 3 lakh crore, so far, including Rs 30,000 crore for this state’s tillers of which Rs 900 crore went to the peasants of Yavatmal, and the amounts would immensely benefit them. Modi reiterated that to achieve the status of a developed country, it was imperative to strengthen the rural economy, remove all difficulties of the villagers like drinking and irrigation and other schemes. Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Minister Atul Save, Yavatmal’s Guardian Minister Sanjay Rathod, BJP State President MLA Chandrasekhar Bawankhule, MP Bhavana Gawli, MP Hemant Patil, Central Backward Classes Commission President Hansraj Ahir, MLAs Madan Yerawar, Dr Ashok Uike, Sanjeevreddy Bodkurwar, Indranil Naik, Namdev Sasane and Dr Sandeep Dhurve were also present on the stage.
Earlier, upon his arrival at the Jawaharlal Darda Airport in Yavatmal on Wednesday in a special Air Force chopper, the Prime Minister was welcomed by Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Chairman of National Commission for Backward Classes Hansraj Ahir and BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Collector Dr Pankaj Ashiya
and SP Dr Pawan Bansod welcomed him on behalf of the administration.