Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Our development work is nation-building mission, not winning elections

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched development projects costing Rs 106,000 crore.

Ahmedabad:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his government’s development work is part of its mission to build the country and not win elections as some believe.

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister launched the country at a function in Sabarmati area of ​​Ahmedabad city in Gujarat after visiting the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Operations Control Center near the venue. 1,06,000 crore development projects.

These include Rs 85,000-crore railway projects, including the launch of 10 new Vande Bharat trains, and a Rs 20,600-crore petrochemical complex at Dahej in Gujarat’s Bharuch district.

“Some people try to see our efforts through an electoral lens. Let me tell you, we do development work as part of our mission to build the nation, not to form a government (by winning elections). We want to ensure that our youth do not suffer What their previous generations suffered. This is Modi’s assurance,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi said that in the past 10 years, his government has spent about six times more on railway development than before.

He added that in just two months in 2024, his government had initiated and laid the foundation stone of the Rs 1,100-crore project.

The Prime Minister said the country’s railway sector suffered badly after independence as past governments prioritized “political motives” over development.

“Earlier, MPs used to applaud the Railway Minister in Parliament when he announced to stop running trains or increase the number of coaches. That was the thinking. What will happen if this attitude continues in the 21st century too? That’s why I The first thing to be done is to merge the railway budget with the main Union budget so that funds from the Center can be used for the development of railways,” he said.

Earlier, it was common for trains to be delayed. He said everything depends on the fate of the passengers.

As of 2014, only 35% of rail lines were electrified. The prime minister said common people were suffering due to long queues, agents demanding commissions and waiting to book train tickets.

“I know this very well because I started my life on the railroad tracks,” he said.

Modi said his government has shown strong willpower to get the railways out of the “hell situation” and the development of the sector is one of their top priorities.

He said previous governments had not prioritized doubling the tracks.

Talking about the DFC, Modi said that there has been a need for separate tracks for freight trains for decades.

This will increase the speed of passenger and freight trains and is also necessary to boost agriculture, trade and export activities, he said.

“But under the Congress regime, the project was either delayed or hit roadblocks. Today, we will inaugurate the 650-km long freight corridor,” the Prime Minister said.

At the venue, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the railway workshop, locomotive shed, electric traction system upgrade project, and laid the foundation stone for two new sections of the National Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Western DFC Operations Control Center in Ahmedabad.

He is in Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Mysuru-Dr MGR Central (Chennai), Patna-Lucknow, New Jalpaiguri-Pat Ten new Vande Bharat trains have been launched between Na, Puri-Visakhapatnam, Lucknow-Dehradun, Kalaburagi-Sir M Visvesvaraya terminal. Bengaluru, Ranchi-Varanasi and Khajuraho-Delhi (Nizamuddin).

The Prime Minister also announced the extension of four Vande Bharat trains.

Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat extended to Dwarka, Ajmer-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Vande Bharat extended to Chandigarh, Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat extended to Prayagraj, Trivandrum-Kasargod Vande Bharat extended to Mangaluru.

He also announced the launch of two new passenger trains between Asansol, Hatiya and Tirupati stations and Kollam station.

The Prime Minister dedicated 51 Gati Shakti intermodal cargo terminals across the country. A press release issued by PIB said these terminals will facilitate seamless movement of goods between different modes of transport.

Other projects launched by the Prime Minister include digital control of railway stations at 2,646 stations, 35 railway coach restaurants, 1,500 “One Station One Product” stalls to promote local products and provide services to local artisans and businesses as well as solar power stations and buildings Revenue generated from 975 locations.

Modi also laid the foundation stone of the Petronet LNG petrochemical complex at Dahej in Gujarat, which includes ethane and propane processing facilities worth over Rs 20,600 crore.

Establishing the petrochemical complex adjacent to the existing LNG regasification terminal will result in significant capital and operating expenditure savings for the project, the release said.

The implementation of the project is expected to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for 50,000 people during the implementation phase and more than 20,000 employment opportunities during the operation phase, bringing huge socio-economic benefits to the region.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Rs 400-crore Ekta Mall in Gujarat and Maharashtra to support India’s rich and diverse heritage of handlooms, handicrafts and traditional products.