PM’s address at the laying of foundation stone, inaugurating & dedicating various projects at Guwahati
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 04 Feb, 2024

Bharat Mata Ki – Jai! Bharat Mata Ki – Jai! The Governor of Assam, Gulab Chand Kataria ji, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma ji, my colleagues in the cabinet, Sarbananda Sonowal ji and Rameshwar Teli ji, ministers of the Assam government, Members of Parliament and legislators, heads of various councils, and my dear brothers and sisters! My heartfelt greetings to all of you! With the blessings of Maa Kamakhya once again, I am fortunate to dedicate to you projects related to the development of Assam. Just a while ago, the foundation stone or inauguration of the projects worth 11,000 crores of rupees took place. All these projects, along with Assam and Northeast, will strengthen connectivity with other countries of South Asia as well. These projects will create new employment opportunities in the tourism sector in Assam and will also provide new opportunities for sporting talent. These projects will also expand the role of Assam in medical education and healthcare centres. I extend heartfelt congratulations to all my family members in Assam and the Northeast for these projects. I came here yesterday evening, and the way the people of Guwahati welcomed and honoured me all through the route, and everybody, including children and elders, were blessing me, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you. I saw on TV that you lit lakhs of lamps. Your love and affection is a very precious treasure for me. Your affection and blessings constantly energize me. I have no words to express my gratitude to all of you. Brothers and sisters, In the past few days, I have had the opportunity to embark on a journey to many holy sites of the country. After the grand event in Ayodhya, I am now here at the doorstep of Maa Kamakhya. Today, I have had the privilege of laying the foundation stone for the Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana. I have been informed in detail about the vision of this Divya Lok project. It will bring immense joy to the devotees of Maa Kamakhya from across the country and the world once it is completed. More and more devotees will be able to come here every year to pay their respects after the completion of the Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana. And I can see that as the number of pilgrims to Maa Kamakhya increases, it will become the gateway to tourism in the entire Northeast. Whoever comes here will contribute to the tourism of the entire Northeast. In a way, it will become the gateway to tourism. Such a big project is associated with this Divya Lok. I commend Himanta ji and his government for this magnificent project. Friends, Our pilgrimage sites, our temples, the places of our faith, are not just places to visit; they are the infinite landmarks of our civilization for thousands of years. These are witness to Bharat’s resilience in facing every crisis. We have seen civilizations that were once very prosperous, now reduced to ruins. Unfortunately, those who ruled the country for a long time after independence also failed to understand the importance of these sacred places of faith. They set a trend of being ashamed of their own culture, their own past, for political gains. No country can ever develop by erasing, forgetting its past, or cutting off its roots. I am satisfied that situations have changed in Bharat in the past 10 years. The double-engine government of the BJP has made ‘Vikas’ (development) and ‘Virasat’ (heritage) part of its policy. The result of this can be seen in different parts of Assam today. All places associated with faith, spirituality and history of Assam are being connected with modern facilities. Along with the campaign to preserve heritage, the campaign of development is also progressing rapidly. If we look at the past 10 years, we have seen a record number of colleges and universities being established in the country. Earlier, major institutions were established only in big cities. We have expanded the network of institutions like IITs, AIIMS, and IIMs throughout the country. During the last 10 years, the number of medical colleges in the country has almost doubled. Even in Assam, there were 6 medical colleges before the formation of the BJP government. Today there are 12 medical colleges in Assam. Assam is becoming a major centre for cancer treatment in the Northeast today. Friends, Ensuring the ease of life for our citizens has been a priority for our government. We have built pucca houses for more than 4 crore impoverished families. We have also launched campaigns to provide water and electricity to every household. The Ujjwala scheme has provided liberation from smoke to lakhs of sisters and daughters in Assam today. The toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan have safeguarded the dignity of lakhs of sisters and daughters in Assam. Friends, The direct benefit of our focus on development and heritage has been felt by the youth of the country. Today, there is growing enthusiasm for tourism and pilgrimage in the country. After the development of the Kashi corridor, there has been a record number of pilgrims visiting there. In the past year alone, over eight and a half crore people have visited Kashi. More than five crore people have visited the Mahakal Mahalok in Ujjain. Over 19 lakh people have undertaken the journey to Kedarnath Dham. The consecration ceremony in Ayodhya Dham took place just a few days ago. In just 12 days, more than 24 lakh people have already visited Ayodhya. We are expecting to witness a similar rush here after the completion of the Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok. Friends, When pilgrims and devotees come, even the poorest of the poor earn. Everyone’s income increases whether they are rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, hoteliers, or street vendors. That is why we have given a lot of emphasis on tourism in this year’s Budget. The BJP government at the Centre is going to start a new campaign for the development of historical sites associated with tourism. There are ample opportunities for this in Assam and the Northeast. Therefore, the BJP government is placing special emphasis on the development of the Northeast. Friends, There has been a record number of tourists visiting the Northeast in the past 10 years. How did this happen? These centres of tourism and the beautiful areas of the Northeast were here before as well. But back then, not as many tourists came here. Who would prefer to come here amidst violence, lack of infrastructure, and a shortage of facilities? You also know the situation in Assam and the entire Northeast 10 years ago. Rail and air travel in the entire Northeast were very limited. The roads were both narrow and poor. Let alone travelling from one state to another, it would take many hours travelling from one district to another. Today, the double-engine government of the BJP, the NDA government, has changed all these conditions. Friends, In the past 10 years, our government has increased spending on development here fourfold. Since 2014, the length of railway tracks has increased by over 1900 kilometers. Compared to before 2014, the railway budget has increased by almost 400 per cent. And back then, the Prime Minister was elected from your Assam, but now, your colleague is doing more work than him. Until 2014, there were only 10 thousand kilometers of national highways here. In the last 10 years alone, we have built six thousand kilometers of new national highways. Today, two more new road projects have been inaugurated. This will improve connectivity to Itanagar, and the difficulties for all of you will be reduced. Friends, Today, the entire country is saying that Modi’s guarantee means the fulfilment of a guarantee. I have given a guarantee to provide basic amenities to the poor, women, youth, and farmers, and today, most of these guarantees are being fulfilled. We have also seen this during the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’. Modi’s guaranteed vehicle has reached those who were deprived of government schemes. Nearly 20 crore people across the country have directly participated in the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’. A large number of people in Assam have also benefited from this yatra. Friends, The BJP’s double-engine government is committed to reaching every beneficiary. Our goal is to make life easier for every citizen, and this focus is evident in the Budget that was announced three days ago. In the Budget, the government has pledged to spend 11 lakh crore rupees on infrastructure. This is a significant amount, and it can be estimated from another perspective. Remember this figure, my brothers and sisters: in the 10 years before 2014, the total infrastructure budget remained at 12 lakh crore rupees, meaning in 10 years, it was 12 lakh crore rupees. This means that the amount our government is going to spend in the next year is almost equivalent to what the previous central government spent in its 10 years. You can imagine how extensive construction work is going to take place in the country. And when such a large amount is invested in construction projects, new jobs are created, and industries get new momentum. Friends, Another very big scheme has been announced in this year’s Budget. Over the past 10 years, we have run a campaign to bring electricity to every home. Now, we are working towards zero electricity bill for the brothers and sisters of Assam and the country. The government has announced a major plan for rooftop solar in the Budget. Under this scheme, the government will initially assist one crore families in installing solar rooftop panels. This will also make their electricity bill zero, and at the same time, ordinary families will generate income by producing electricity at home and selling it. Friends, I had given the guarantee to make 2 crore sisters in the country ‘Lakhpati’. According to the preliminary information that I have, one crore of our sisters have already become ‘Lakhpati Didis’. When the one crore sisters working in self-help groups become ‘Lakhpati Didis’, the ground beneath changes significantly, my friends. Now, we have increased the target of making ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in the Budget. Instead of two crore, now three crore sisters will be made ‘Lakhpati Didis’. This will surely benefit lakhs of my sisters in Assam as well. Here, there will be opportunities for all the sisters associated with self-help groups in the future, and with such significant numbers of mothers and sisters present here, surely among them will also be some ‘Lakhpati Didis’. Our government has also included Anganwadi and ASHA sisters in the ambit of the Ayushman scheme in this Budget. This will provide them with free treatment facilities of up to 5 lakh rupees. When the government is committed to making the lives of sisters and daughters easier, compassion is at work. Brothers and sisters, When Modi gives guarantees, he also has the determination to fulfil them by working day and night. Therefore, today there is trust in Modi’s guarantee in the Northeast. Look at Assam today, permanent peace is established in the areas that were restless for years. Border disputes between states are being resolved. After the BJP government came to power, there have been more than 10 major peace agreements here. Over the past few years, thousands of youths in the Northeast have chosen the path of development over violence. I have worked for my party in Assam for many years. I have travelled to almost every area here, and I remember the time when there used to be interruptions in travel due to roadblocks, shutdown calls, and bomb blasts inside Guwahati. Today, it has become history, my friends, and today people are living in peace. More than 7,000 youths in Assam have laid down their arms, taking a pledge to join the country’s development journey. AFSPA has been lifted in several districts. The areas affected by violence are now developing according to their aspirations, and the government is providing them with full support. Friends, No country, no state, can achieve rapid development by setting small goals. Previous governments neither set big goals nor worked hard enough to achieve those goals. We have also changed the approach of previous governments. I can see the Northeast developing in the same way as the world sees East Asia. Today, connectivity with South Asia and East Asia is expanding through the Northeast. Today, work has begun to upgrade several roads under the framework of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). Imagine, when all these connectivity projects are completed, how big a centre of trade and commerce this region will become. I know that every youth in Assam and the Northeast also dreams of seeing development like East Asia here. I want to tell every youth of Assam and the Northeast that your dream is the resolve of Modi. And Modi will leave no stone unturned to fulfil your dreams. And this is Modi’s guarantee. Brothers and sisters, All the work which is happening today has only one goal. The goal is a happy and prosperous life for Bharat and Indians. The goal is to make Bharat the world’s third-largest economic power. The goal is to make Bharat a developed nation by 2047. Assam and the Northeast have a very significant role in this regard. Once again, congratulations to all of you on these development projects. And now, the blessings of Maa Kamakhya are going to increase significantly. And that’s why I can see the magnificent and divine image of Assam, my friends. Your dreams will come true, we will see it with our own eyes and I assure you. Once again, thank you very much to all of you. Raise both of your hands and say with me Bharat Mata Ki – Jai! Bharat Mata Ki – Jai! Bharat Mata Ki – Jai! Bharat Mata Ki – Jai! Thank you very much!