PM’s address at foundation stone laying ceremony and inauguration of various projects in Shivamogga, Karnataka
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 27 Feb, 2023

कर्नाटका दा, एल्ला सहोदरा सहोदरीयारिगे, नन्ना नमस्कारागलु! सिरिगन्नडम् गेल्गे, सिरिगन्नडम् बाळ्गे जय भारत जननीय तनुजाते! जया हे कर्नाटक माते! I respectfully bow down to the land of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu who upheld the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’. Today, I once again got the privilege of inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of projects worth thousands of crores of rupees related to the development of Karnataka. Right now I am in Shivamogga and from here I will go to Belagavi. Today Shivamogga has got its own airport. The demand which was there for a long time has been fulfilled today. Shivamogga airport has been made extremely grand and beautiful. A wonderful confluence of tradition and technology of Karnataka is visible in this airport. And it is not just an airport, it is a campaign to give wings to the dreams of the youth of this region. Today, the foundation stones of several projects related to road and rail have also been laid. Work is also starting on the projects of tap water in every household. I congratulate all the people of Shivamogga and the neighbouring districts for these development projects. Friends, Today is very special for another reason. Today is the birthday of a popular public leader of Karnataka B. S. Yediyurappa ji’s. I wish him a long life. He has dedicated his life for the welfare of the poor and the farmers. Yediyurappa ji’s speech in the Karnataka Assembly last week is an inspiration to everyone in public life. His speech and his life is always going to inspire everyone like us as well as our future generations and show us the way to remain humble in terms of behaviour even after reaching this great height of success. Friends, I have a request to all of you. Will you do this? If you have a mobile phone, take out the mobile phone and turn on its flashlight and pay respect to Yediyurappa ji. As a mark of respect to Yediyurappa ji, everyone should turn on the flashlights on their mobiles. We should walk in honour of Yediyurappa ji. He has a public life of about 50-60 years and has spent his entire youth dedicated to one idea. Everyone should show respect to Hon’ble Yediyurappa ji by turning on the flashlight of your mobile phone. Well done! Well done! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! When I look at the development journey of Karnataka during the regime of the BJP government, I feel : “कर्नाटक, अभिवृद्धिया रथादा, मेले ! इ रथावू, प्रगतिया पथादा मेले!” In the last few years, the development of Karnataka has moved on the chariot of growth. This chariot of growth is running on the path of progress. This path of progress is in terms of Railways, Roadways, Airways and I-ways i.e. digital connectivity. Friends, We all know that whether it is a vehicle or a government, when a double engine is used, its speed increases manifold. Karnataka’s growth chariot is running on such a double engine and is running faster. BJP’s double engine government has brought another major change. Earlier, when the development of Karnataka was discussed, it used to be limited only around the major cities. But the double engine government is constantly trying to take this development to the villages, tier-2 cities and tier-3 cities of Karnataka. The development of Shivamogga is the result of this mindset. Brothers & Sisters, This airport of Shivamogga is starting at a time when there is a lot of enthusiasm about air travel in India. You must have seen recently that Air India has made a deal to buy the world’s largest aircraft. Before 2014, whenever anyone talked about Air India, it was often something negative. During the Congress regime, Air India was known for scams, and was identified with a loss-making business model. Today Air India, as the new strength of India, is touching new heights in the world. Today India’s aviation market is being talked about all over the world. Thousands of aircraft are going to be needed in the near future in India. Thousands of youngsters will be needed to work in these planes. Right now, even though we are importing these aircraft from abroad, the day is not far when the citizens of India will travel in ‘Made in India’ passenger planes. Many possibilities are going to open up for employment in the aviation sector. Friends, The expansion of air travel in India today is due to the policies and decisions of the BJP government. Before 2014, the focus was on airports only in major cities of the country. Congress never thought about the fact that ‘Small towns should also be connected by air’. We decided to change this situation. In the year 2014, there were 74 airports in the country. That is, even after seven decades of independence, there were only 74 airports in the country. While the BJP government has built 74 new airports in just 9 years. Many small cities of the country also have their own modern airports. You can imagine the speed at which the BJP government is working. The BJP government, which works for the poor, has done another crucial task. We decided that even a common man should be able to travel by air. That’s why we started the UDAN scheme to provide air tickets at very low cost. Today, when I see several of my poor brothers and sisters boarding an airplane for the first time, it gives me immense satisfaction. This airport of Shivamogga will also become a witness to it. Friends, This new airport is going to open new doors of development for Shivamogga, the land of nature, culture and agriculture. Shivamogga is the gateway to Malenadu, famous for the Western Ghats. When it comes to nature, the greenery, wildlife sanctuaries, rivers and mountains here are amazing. You also have the famous Jog Falls here. Here is the famous Elephant Camp, Lion Safari like Sinhadham. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy the sunset of Mount Agumbe? There is a saying here, ‘Ganga Snana, Tunga Pana’. A person’s life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganges and without drinking the water of the Tunga river. Friends, When we talk of culture, the sweet waters of Shivamogga add sweetness to the words of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu. The world’s only Sanskrit village – Matturu is in this district. And it is not even far away from here. Devi Siganduru Chowdeshwari, Shrikote Anjaneya, Shri Sridhara Swami Ji’s ashram, such places related to faith and spirituality are also in Shivamogga. The Issuru village of Shivamogga, where the slogan of ” येसुरु बिट्टरू-ईसुरू बिडेवू ” had echoed against the British, is an inspiration for all of us. Brothers & Sisters, Besides nature and culture, Shivamogga’s agriculture is also diverse. This is one of the most fertile regions of the country. The variety of crops found here, establishes this area as an agricultural hub. From tea, betel nut, spices to various types of fruits and vegetables are available in our Shivamogga area. There was a great need here to promote the nature, culture and agriculture of Shivamogga. This need is for connectivity, good connectivity. The double engine government is meeting this need. With the construction of the airport, not only will the local people be benefited, it will be easy for tourists from India and abroad to come here. When tourists come, they bring dollars and pounds with them, and in a way, there are job opportunities in that as well. When rail connectivity is better, besides convenience and tourism, even farmers get new markets. Farmers deliver their crops to the market across the country at a low cost. Friends, When the new Shivamogga-Shikaripura-Ranibennur line is completed, apart from Shivamogga, Haveri and Davangere districts will also be benefitted. Most importantly, there will be no level crossing in this line. Meaning it will be a safe rail line and high speed trains will be able to run on it. Kotegangur was till now a short halt station. Now turning it into a new coaching terminal will increase its importance. Its capacity will increase. Now it is being developed with 4 railway lines, 3 platforms and a railway coaching depot. With this, new trains will be able to run from here to other parts of the country. Besides air and rail transport, when the roads also become better the youth are benefitted the most. Shivamogga is an educational hub. With good connectivity, it will be easy for young friends from nearby districts to come here. This will pave the way for new businesses and industries. That is, infrastructure related to good connectivity is going to create new employment opportunities in this entire region. Brothers & Sisters, Today, a massive campaign is going on to make life easier for the mothers and sisters of Shivamogga and this region. This is a campaign to supply piped water to every house. Shivamogga district has more than 3 lakh families. Before the Jal Jeevan Mission started, about 90,000 families here had tap connections in their homes. The double engine government has so far provided piped water facility to about 1.5 lakh new families. Work is also going on over several projects to provide tap water to the rest of the families. In the last three and a half years, piped water has been provided to 40 lakh rural families in Karnataka. Friends, The BJP government is the government of villages, poor and farmers. The BJP government is the government that works for the welfare of the poor. The BJP government walks on the path of ensuring self-respect and empowerment of mothers and sisters and providing opportunities to women. That’s why we have strived to solve every problem faced by the sisters. Be it toilet, gas connection in the kitchen or water through the tap, the absence of these provisions used to trouble our sisters and daughters the most. Today we are solving these issues. With the Jal Jeevan Mission, the double engine government is making sincere efforts to provide water to every household. Friends, The people of Karnataka know very well that this is the ‘Amritkaal’ for India; the time to make India developed. For the first time in the history of independence, such an opportunity has come. For the first time, India’s voice is echoing in the whole world. Investors from all over the world want to come to India. And when investment flows in, it benefits even Karnataka as well as the youth here. That’s why Karnataka has made up its mind to give opportunities to the double engine government again and again. I assure you that this campaign of Karnataka’s development is going to get faster now. We have to move forward together; we have to walk together. We have to walk together to fulfil the dreams of our people of Karnataka, our people of Shivamogga. Once again, I congratulate all of you for these development projects. My best wishes to you all! Say with me – Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Thank you!