PM’s address at the launch of development works in Surat, Gujarat

Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Many best wishes of Navratri to all the people of Surat. It is pleasant for a person like me to come to Surat during Navratri, but it becomes a bit difficult when Navratri fasts are on. It is very difficult to be in Surat and return without relishing delicacies of Surat. It is my good fortune that on this auspicious occasion of Navratri I will be a part of many major events related to infrastructure, sports, culture and faith on the soil of Gujarat for the two days beginning today. It is my privilege to intensify the pride of Gujarat, coming among you and taking your blessings and your love and enthusiasm towards me is growing day by day. The people of Gujarat and Surat have given so much love to me that my words are falling short to thank you. My happiness swells manifold when I see and hear the stories of development reaching every household in Surat. As part of this, many development projects have been either inaugurated or the foundation stone has been laid in Surat today. Most of these projects are going to provide various facilities and benefits to the people of Surat, to the middle class and to the business class. I am told that the construction work of 75 Amrit Sarovars (ponds) is going on rapidly in Surat. All the colleagues of the district, the administration and the people of Surat deserve congratulations. Friends, The city of Surat is a wonderful example of people’s solidarity as well as public participation. There will not be any region of India whose people do not live in Surat. It is, in a way, a mini India. The important feature of Surat is that it respects labour and I am always proud of this fact. Here talent is valued, aspirations of progress are fulfilled and dreams of moving forward are realized. And importantly, this city gives more opportunities to the one who gets left behind in the race for development and tries to bring him forward by holding his hand. This spirit of Surat is a great inspiration for building a developed India in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. Friends, In the early decades of this century, when the world was talking about three ‘P’s, that is, Public, Private Partnership, I used to say that Surat is an example of four ‘P’s. Four ‘P’s are People, Public, Private, Partnership. This model makes Surat special. The people of Surat can never forget the times when misinformation was fueled about epidemics and flood problems. During that period, I had told one thing to the business community here. I told them that if there is proper branding of Surat city, then every sector, every company, will get automatic branding. And see, today all of you have done this in Surat. I am happy that today Surat is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and every business and trade here is benefiting from it. Brothers and sisters, In the last 20 years, Surat has progressed much faster than the rest of the cities in the country. Today, we often proudly mention Surat as one of the cleanest cities in the country. This is the result of continuous hard work of the people of Surat. The new drainage network of over hundreds of kilometers has given a new lease of life to Surat. The sewerage treatment capacity that has been built in this city over two decades has also helped in keeping the city clean. Today new capacity has been added at Bhakar and Bamrauli. The colleagues, who have been working here for more than 20 years, are witnesses of this change. The number of slums in Surat has also come down significantly over the years. About 80,000 houses have been built for the poor and the slum dwellers in the last two decades. This has improved the standard of living of lakhs of people of Surat city. Friends, There has been a spurt in construction of houses and many other facilities are also being provided to the poor and middle class people of Surat after the formation of the double-engine government in Gujarat. About 40 million poor patients have got free treatment in the country so far under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. It includes more than 32 lakh patients from Gujarat and about 1.25 lakh patients from Surat. Similarly, about 35 lakh street vendors have so far got affordable loans from banks without guarantee under the PM SVANidhi Yojana. You must have read a recent article by Bill Gates, a very well-known donor in the world, wherein he has mentioned this aspect. He has written an article mentioning all these things. Friends, more than 2.5 lakh people of Gujarat and about 40,000 people of Surat have got help from this scheme. Friends, The hustle and bustle seen in the western parts of Surat city like Rander, Arayan, Pal, Hazira, Palanpur, Jahangirpura and other areas today is the result of 20 years of uninterrupted hard work. Today there are more than a dozen bridges on the Tapi River in different parts of the city, which are connecting the city and also ensuring prosperity for the people of Surat. Intercity connectivity of this level is rarely seen. Surat is truly the city of bridges which works to bridge the gaps of humanity, nationality and prosperity. Brothers and sisters, The projects whose foundation stone has been laid or inaugurated today are going to strengthen this identity of Surat. Surat’s textile and diamond business sustains the lives of many families across the country. When the DREAM City project is completed, Surat is set to develop into one of the safest and most convenient diamond trading hubs in the world. The day is not far when Surat will be recognized as a modern office space for diamond traders and companies across the world. A few months ago, the Central Government in a major decision gave approval to the Surat Power Loom Mega Cluster, which will reduce the problems of those involved in the power looms in the areas of Sion and Olpad. Not only this, it will also solve the problems related to pollution. Friends, The specialty of the people of Surat is that they are fun-loving people and even a person coming from outside gets influenced by them. Since I am an MP from Kashi, people often tell me about Surat’s food and death in Kashi. As dusk falls, people roam around the Tapti River to enjoy the cool breeze and return home only after having their meals. I congratulate Bhupendrabhai, C.R. Patil, the local corporation and the MLAs for taking forward the efforts to make Surat more modern, including on the banks of the Tapti. With the creation of the Biodiversity Park project, the residents of Surat, who have the habit of taking walks, will get better facilities. Brothers and sisters, The road connecting the city to the airport reflects the culture, prosperity and modernity of Surat. But there are many friends here who have seen our long struggle for the airport. We got tired of telling the then government in Delhi regarding the necessity of an airport in Surat because of its potential. Today, so many flights operate from here and so many people land at the airport every day. You would recall the similar situation with the Metro as well. But today when there is a double engine government, proposals are approved at a faster rate and the work is done equally fast. Brothers and sisters, The people of Surat are well aware of the importance of logistics in business. Surat is going to benefit greatly from the new National Logistics Policy. Work has already started in Surat for multi-modal connectivity. The Ghogha-Hajira Ropax Ferry Service has played a very important role in connecting the agricultural hub of Saurashtra with the business hub of Surat. People are saving time and money too due to the Ro-Ro ferry service between Ghogha and Hazira. The distance between Ghogha and Hazira by road is around 400 kms, whereas this distance is reduced to a few kilometers through the sea route. Now what can be a greater convenience than this? Earlier, it used to take 10-12 hours to travel from Ghogha to Hazira, whereas now this journey is reduced to three-and-a-half hours. People visiting Surat from Bhavnagar, Amreli and other parts of Saurashtra will be greatly benefited due to this ferry service. With the permanent terminal being readied, the possibility of opening more routes in the coming days has increased. This will benefit the industries and farmers here more than before. Friends, Our government is working keeping in view every requirement of the traders and businessmen of Surat. I’ll give you an example. You know that a huge market for textiles in Surat also exists in Kashi and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Until now, goods are transported to Eastern UP through trucks. Now the Railway and the Postal Department together have also found a new solution. The Railways have changed the design of its coaches in such a way that cargo can easily fit in it. One ton containers have been specially made for this purpose. These containers can easily be loaded and unloaded. After the initial success, now an attempt is being made to run a new goods train from Surat to Kashi. This train will carry goods from Surat to Kashi. It will be of great benefit to the traders, businessmen and workers of Surat. Very soon, Surat will be recognized for electric vehicles as well. A new identity is added to Surat very often. From Silk City to Diamond City to Setu City, now it will be known as a city of electric vehicles. Today, the Central Government is helping state governments to run electric vehicles across the country. I congratulate Surat for working very fast in this regard as compared to other cities of the country. Today 25 charging stations have been inaugurated in Surat city and the foundation stone of the same number of stations has been laid. This is a big step towards setting up 500 charging stations in Surat in the near future. Friends, The path of development on which Surat has been marching for the last two decades is going to accelerate in the coming years. This development is reflected today in the form of trust in the double engine government. When trust grows, effort grows equally. And the pace of development of the nation accelerates with ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s efforts). With the hope that we will maintain this momentum, the amount of gratitude I express to the people of Surat is not as much. Surat has set examples as far as development is concerned. Friends, there are many cities equivalent to Surat in India, but Surat has left everyone behind. And this potential is only in Gujarat. Friends, the people of Gujarat are committed and determined so that there is not even a slightest failing in the development journey of Gujarat. With this belief, once again many thanks to all of you. Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Thanks!