PM’s address at foundation stone laying ceremony & dedication of development projects in Kodekal, Yadgiri district of Karnataka
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 19 Jan, 2023

Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! The Governor of Karnataka Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot ji, Chief Minister Shri Basavaraj Bommai ji, my colleague in the Union Cabinet Shri Bhagwanth Khuba ji, ministers in the Karnataka Government, MPs, MLAs, and my dear brothers and sisters who have come in large numbers to bless us! कर्नाटक दा, एल्ला, सहोदरा सहोदरियारिगे, नन्ना वंदानेगड़ू! There is a sea of people as far as I can see. The helipad is also full of people. And here too, I can see thousands of people standing outside this pandal under the sun. Your love and blessings are a great strength for all of us. Friends, Yadgir holds a rich history. The ancient fort of Rattihalli is a symbol of our past and the might of our forefathers. Many places related to our tradition, culture and heritage are present in this region. Here is the heritage of Surapur princely state, which was made famous in the country by the great king Venkatappa Nayaka through his ‘Swaraj’ (self-rule) and good governance. We are all proud of this heritage. Brothers and sisters, Today I have come to hand over projects worth thousands of crores of rupees related to the development of Karnataka to you and launch new projects as well. Right now, the foundation stones and inaugurations of many big projects related to water and roads have taken place here. Lakhs of farmers of Yadgir, Kalaburagi and Vijaypur districts are going to be directly benefited by the expansion and modernization of Narayanpur Left Bank Canal. Yadgir Village Multi Water Supply Scheme is also going to provide clean drinking water to lakhs of families in the district. Work has started today on the Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor which falls in Karnataka. As a result, Ease of Living will also increase in the entire region, including Yadgir, Raichur and Kalaburagi, and the enterprises and employment here will also get a big boost. Many congratulations to all the people of Yadgir, Karnataka, for all these projects of development. I congratulate Bommai ji and also his entire team. The way rapid work is taking place for the development of North Karnataka is commendable. Brothers and sisters, India has completed 75 years of independence. Now the country is moving forward to fulfill the new resolutions for the next 25 years. These 25 years are ‘Amrit Kaal’ for every person and every state of the country. We have to build a developed India in this ‘Amrit Kaal’. India can develop only when every citizen, every family and every state of the country joins this campaign. India can develop only when everyone’s life becomes better whether it is a farmer working in the fields or a worker working in factories. India can develop only when the crops in the fields are good and factories also expand. And friends, This is possible only when we learn from the bad experiences of the past few decades and avoid repeating them again. We have the example of Yadgir in North Karnataka. The potential of this sector is second to none. Despite this capability, this region was left far behind in the journey of development. The previous governments had washed their hands of their responsibility by declaring many districts, including Yadgir, as backward. The previous governments did not bother to find out the reasons behind the backwardness of this area, let alone working hard to find solutions. When it was time to invest in infrastructure like roads, electricity and water, the parties that were in governments at that time promoted vote bank politics. Every plan and program was tied down to secure votes based on caste and religion. As a result, Karnataka, this region and my brothers and sisters have suffered a lot. Friends, Our government’s priority is not vote bank, but our priority is development, development and development. You all blessed me in 2014 and entrusted me with a huge responsibility. I know that as long as even a single district of the country remains backward on the scale of development, the country cannot develop. Therefore, we encouraged the aspiration of development in those districts which were declared backward by the previous governments. Our government started the Aspirational Districts Program in more than 100 such districts of the country, including Yadgir. We laid emphasis on good governance in these districts and started work on every parameter of development. All the aspirational districts, including Yadgir, have also got its benefit. Today, Yadgir has recorded 100 percent vaccination of children. There has been a significant reduction in the number of malnourished children in Yadgir district. Almost all the villages here have been connected by roads. There are Common Service Centers in Gram Panchayats to provide digital services. Be it education, health, connectivity, Yadgir district has performed as the top-10 aspirational districts in all parameters. I congratulate the people’s representatives of Yadgir district and the team of the district administration for this performance. Today new industries are coming up in Yadgir district. The Central Government has also given approval for a Pharma Park here. Brothers and sisters, Water security is such an issue, which is very important for the development of 21st century India. If India has to develop, then like border security, coastal security, internal security, the challenges related to water security will also have to be met. The double engine government is working keeping in mind convenience and saving. When you gave us the opportunity in 2014, there were 99 irrigation projects which were pending for decades. Today, about 50 of these projects have been completed. We also worked on pending projects and emphasized on expanding the resources we already had. Work on many such projects is also underway in Karnataka. Water is being supplied to the drought-affected areas by linking the rivers. The development and expansion of Narayanapura Left Bank Canal System is also a part of this policy. Now 4.5 lakh hectares of land will be brought under irrigation due to the new system that has been put in place with new technology. Now sufficient water will be able to reach the last end of the canal for sufficient time. Friends, Today, unprecedented emphasis is being laid on micro-irrigation like Per Drop-More Crop in the country. In the last 6-7 years, 70 lakh hectares of land has been brought under micro-irrigation. In Karnataka too, micro irrigation has been expanded. Today, the projects related to micro-irrigation, which are underway in Karnataka, will benefit 5 lakh hectares of land. The double engine government is also working on a large scale to raise the level of ground water. Be it the Atal Bhujal Yojana, the plan to build 75 ponds in every district under the Amrit Sarovar Abhiyan, or the Karnataka government’s own schemes, it will help in maintaining the water level. Brothers and sisters, The best example of how the double engine government is working can be seen in the Jal Jeevan Mission. When this mission was launched three and a half years ago, out of 18 crore rural households in the country, only 3 crore rural households had tap connections. Remember this figure, when we formed the government, only 3 crore rural households had tap connections. Today about 11 crore rural families of the country have tap connections. That is, our government has provided piped water to 8 crore new rural families in the country. And this also includes 35 lakh rural families of Karnataka. I am happy that the coverage of tap water per household in Yadgir and Raichur is higher than the overall average of Karnataka and the country. And when the tap water reaches the homes, the mothers and sisters shower their blessings to Modi. When the water comes every day, their blessings start flowing for Modi. The foundation stone of the scheme, which has been laid today, will give further momentum to the goal of providing tap water to every household in Yadgir. I want to list one more benefit of Jal Jeevan Mission to you. It has been revealed in a study that due to India’s Jal Jeevan Mission, we will be able to save the lives of more than 1.25 lakh children every year. You can imagine if 1.25 lakh children are saved from death every year, not only God, the people also give their blessings. Friends, our children were in great danger due to contaminated water and now how our government has saved the lives of your children. Brothers and sisters, The Har Ghar Jal campaign is also an example of the double benefit of the double engine government. Double engine means double welfare, double rapid development. You know very well how Karnataka is benefiting from this arrangement. The central government gives Rs 6,000 to farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme every year. At the same time, the Karnataka government adds Rs 4,000 more to the central scheme, so that the farmers get double benefit. About 1.25 lakh farmer families of Yadgir have also received about Rs 250 crore from the PM Kisan Nidhi. Friends, The Central Government has introduced a new National Education Policy. At the same time, the Karnataka government is ensuring good education to the children of poor families through the Vidya Nidhi Yojana. The central government takes steps for rapid development despite the pandemic and other crises. At the same time, the state government is moving forward to make Karnataka the first choice of investors in the country by taking advantage of the central government’s steps. The central government provides financial help to the weavers under the Mudra scheme. At the same time, the Karnataka government waives off their loans during the pandemic and also gives them financial assistance. So, a double engine means double benefit. Friends, If any person, class or area is deprived even after so many years of independence, then our government is giving maximum priority to them. And giving preference to the underprivileged is our way of working, our resolution and our mantra. Crores of small farmers in our country were also deprived of every comfort for decades and they did not matter in government policies. Today this small farmer is the biggest priority of the agricultural policy of the country. Today we are helping farmers with machines, taking them towards modern technology like drones, providing modern fertilizers like nano urea, and on the other hand, we are also encouraging natural farming. Today, even small farmers are being given Kisan Credit Cards. Help is also being provided to small farmers and landless families so that they can earn additional income through animal husbandry, fish farming and beekeeping. Brothers and sisters, Now that I am in Yadgir, I would like to express my gratitude to the hardworking farmers of Karnataka for one more thing. This region is a bowl of pulses which reach across the country. If India has reduced its foreign dependence for pulses in the last seven-eight years, then the farmers of North Karnataka have a big role in it. The central government also bought 80 times more pulses from the farmers on MSP in these eight years. While pulse growers used to get a few hundred crore rupees before 2014, our government has given 60,000 crore rupees to pulse growers. Now the country is also running a special campaign for self-sufficiency in edible oil. The farmers of Karnataka must also take advantage of this. Today, work is underway on a large scale in the country for the production and use of biofuel ethanol. The government has also increased the target for ethanol blending in petrol. Sugarcane farmers of Karnataka are going to be greatly benefited by this decision. Friends, Another great opportunity is being created in the world today, which will definitely benefit the farmers of Karnataka, especially the small farmers. The United Nations has declared this year as the International Year of Millet on India’s request. Coarse cereals like jowar and ragi are produced in abundance in Karnataka. The double engine government is determined to increase the production of this nutritious coarse grain and promote it worldwide. I am sure that the farmers of Karnataka will play a leading role in this regard too. Brothers and sisters, Our government is trying to mitigate another problem of North Karnataka. This challenge is in regard to connectivity. Be it agriculture, industry or tourism, connectivity is equally important. Today, when the country is laying emphasis on connectivity-related infrastructure, Karnataka is also getting more benefits due to the double engine government. The Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor is also going to benefit a large part of North Karnataka. With the connection of two big port cities of the country, possibilities will be created for new industries in this entire region. It will also be easier for the countrymen to reach the tourist places and pilgrimage centers of North Karnataka. This will create thousands of new employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth here. Due to the double engine government’s focus on infrastructure and reforms, Karnataka is becoming an investors’ choice. This investment is going to increase further in future, because there is enthusiasm all over the world to invest in India. I am sure that North Karnataka will also get full benefit of this enthusiasm. May the development of this region bring prosperity to all! With this wish, I thank you once again for coming in such a large number to bless us. I also congratulate you for many development projects. Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Thanks a lot!