PM’s speech at the inauguration of multiple development initiatives in Mumbai
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 07 Sep, 2019

My dear brothers and sisters, Greetings to the people of Mumbai! Ganapati Bappa Moreya! Ganapati Bappa Moreya! I got the opportunity to seek the blessings of the Ganpati Bappa at the Lokmanya Seva Sangh before coming here. This is the Centenary Year of the Ganeshotsav of the Lokmanya Seva Sangh. The tradition that was spread by Lokmanya Tilak to strengthen the society is now popular in the country and around the world. Our new Governor, Shri Koshyari ji, is also present here. Probably very few people are aware of the fact that he had been a popular Chief Minister of Uttarakhand once. More importantly, I am feeling proud to mention that while I used to work for the organization of Bharatiya Janta Party, and was assigned work in Uttarakhand, I used to work under his guidance. Friends, The simplicity and affection of the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra always overwhelms me. During the election campaign, I had been to several cities of Maharashtra and had interacted with you. The rally held at night in Mumbai was in news for several days. I am grateful to you all for this affection and blessings. The fact that you have come here to attend this event in such large numbers taking time out in this inclement weather depicts your mood and is an indicator of your dreams. Friends, I was constantly being updated of the condition in Mumbai when I was in Russia. I returned yesterday morning only and left for Bengaluru that evening. I was with my scientist friends from ISRO the entire night there. I am extremely influenced by their courage. We can all learn from our ISRO scientists, our engineers how they have toiled day and night to achieve their goal with patience, even in the adverse circumstances. Brothers and sisters, There is a wealth of knowledge in our scriptures. Bhartrihari said- प्रारभ्यते न खलु विघ्नभयेन नीचैः , प्रारभ्य विघ्नविहिता विरमन्ति मध्याः । विघ्नै: पुनः पुनरपि प्रतिहन्यमानाः , प्रारभ्य च उत्तमजनाः न परित्यजन्ति ।। That is, there are three types of people who try to achieve any goal. At the lowest rung are those people who never start work for fear of obstacles; then, there are some people at the middle level who start work, but run away as soon as the first obstacle comes. Besides these two types, there are people who reach the highest level, who despite several obstacles and challenges try relentlessly and do not stop until they achieve their goals. Friends, ISRO and the people who work with it, are the third type of people. Until the goal is reached, they do not stop, nor do they get tired or just sit. Now we have seen an obstacle in the mission Chandrayaan today, but ISRO scientists will not stop till they accomplish their mission. The dream of reaching the moon will be fulfilled. And friends, we also have to remember that the orbiter sent with Chandrayaan is still there, orbiting the moon, which is also a historical achievement. I have seen and heard a lot about the spirit of the people of Mumbai. Today, I saw the spirit of the people of ISRO and I felt it necessary to share those things with you. Brothers and sisters, In an environment wherein ceaseless efforts for accomplishing the resolutions are being made with the spirit of Ganeshotsav, thousands of crores of rupees worth schemes are being launched in Maharashtra today. After Mumbai I also plan to go to Aurangabad. Many projects will also be launched there. I convey my best wishes to the people living in Mumbai and its suburban areas. The work of more than 20 thousand crore rupees is starting here today. Be it a new metro line, a metro building, an expansion of facilities at the metro station, a project to connect the Bandra-Kurla complex with the Eastern Express highway; all these projects will not only give a new dimension to Mumbai’s infrastructure but will also help in making the lives of the people here easier. The project connecting Bandra-Kurla with the express highway will bring a huge relief to lakhs of professionals. BKC is a huge center of business activity. It will be easier to come here now in less time and now one can reach Mumbai in minutes. Everyone demands – ‘Mumbai in minutes’. I congratulate all of you, every Mumbaikar, for all these projects. Friends, Mumbai is the city whose dynamism has also given pace to the country. The hardworking people here, the professionals here, the mothers, sisters, youth here, and all of you love this city and proudly say ‘ I am a Mumbaikar’. We have tried very sincerely to improve the infrastructure of Amchi Mumbai in the last five years. Here, I know very well how hard the Fadnavis government has worked for each project of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Today all these efforts have the effect that a gradual change can be seen in Mumbai. And I see the most positive side in it that work is being done right now according to the needs of the present as well as the future keeping in mind the needs of the coming decades. Brothers and sisters, Today as the country is moving towards the goal of 5 trillion dollar economy, we also have to modify our cities according to the world of the 21st century. Be it mobility, connectivity, productivity, sustainability or safety, we have to prepare a better system in every respect. With this thinking, our government is going to spend 100 lakh crore rupees on modern infrastructure in the next five years. Apart from Mumbai, this amount is going to benefit all the cities of Maharashtra as well. Friends, We are emphasizing on an integrated system to improve mobility and transport in cities across the country. Every such medium like rail, road and metro is being connected to each other. Today, a vision document has been released here to prepare better public transport system in Mumbai metropolitan region. There are different modes of travel, such as Mumbai local, bus system and metro. The details of how to use them properly are given in this. In particular, a master plan has been built for Mumbai Metro. Brothers and sisters, For the past five years, I have been getting a chance to continuously connect with the expansion work of Mumbai Metro. The metro network is being expanded here at a cost of about Rs 1.5 lakh crore. At present, Mumbai has a metro network of only 11 km. But by 1920, 1923 and 1924, it will increase to more than 325 kilometers. The biggest advantage of this will be that today, as many people travel daily by local trains in Mumbai; the metro will be able to cater to almost the same number of people. Besides modernizing the local train, this combination of metro expansion will cater to the current needs of Mumbai and also prepare it for the coming years. Friends, We are not only laying the metro lines but also ensuring that the coaches of the metro that will run on these lines are also built in India. I have seen the Mock-up coach a short while ago. These modern metro coaches built under Make in India are going to make Mumbai Metro safe, convenient and economical. Brothers and sisters, Infrastructure is equally related to employment as it is related to the economy and ease of living. Investing in Infrastructure means to create new employment opportunities. If I consider only the Metro related work that has started in Mumbai; that alone will provide employment opportunities to 10 thousand engineers and 40 thousand skilled and unskilled people. Brothers and sisters, The infrastructure work that is being done in the villages and the cities, generates employment at the local level, and creates business opportunities for small traders; but people do not talk much about it. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the speed and scale at which the work is being done today has never happened before. Therefore, it is natural for the people to lose their attention towards it. Now that the situation is changing, this topic will also start becoming a part of the discussion. Just imagine! Could anyone have ever imagined before that the work of Navi-Mumbai Airport, which had been stuck for years, or the work of Mumbai Trans Harbor Link, or the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train would start at such a large scale or would progress at such a fast pace? All these projects are giving new opportunities of employment to the people in and around Mumbai. Brothers and sisters, When I talk of speed and scale, I have so many examples that if I start counting them, it will be evening. Today, massive projects of metro have started here, so I want to give you an example related to that. Friends, The first metro in our country had started 30-35 years ago. After this, the metro could run in only a few big cities by 2014. Today, metro in 27 cities in the country has either started or is going to start in the near future. Today, 675 km line is operational across the country, out of which 400 km of metro service has started in the last five years. Just imagine! More than half of the metro lines have been connected just in the last five years. And more than 850 kilometers of metro line is currently under construction. Brothers and sisters, Nearly 600 kilometers of new metro lines have been approved in the last five years. Be it Mumbai, Pune or Nagpur, the work on Metro started during this period and I would praise Fadnavis ji for the fast pace of work on these projects. Brothers and sisters, Connecting the country with the modern infrastructure of the 21st century is extremely necessary to take the country forward at a faster pace. Today work is going on to develop the country’s infrastructure in a holistic way. Not in isolation, but we are moving forward with the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’. From ‘One Nation One Power Grid’ to ‘One Nation One Mobility Card’; from ‘One Nation One Tax’ to ‘One Nation One Network of Optical Fiber’, our government is building modern infrastructure across the country. Brothers and sisters, We all have the responsibility to ensure that our children, our future generations, do not have to face the same problems that we have faced all these years. We must not bequeath troubles to our children. Improvement in the standard of living of every person improves the condition of the country. We have to fulfill the dreams of our present and the past as well as have to prepare for the future. If the country is ready for the future from today, only then your children will be able to live a happy life. The decisions taken by our government after the formation of the new government with your blessings will strengthen the future of Indians and secure them. Friends, Honouring the mandate given by the people of the country, several important decisions have been taken in the right direction. This government is completing 100 days and within these 100 days such works have been done, which are unprecedented as well as historic. Be it the launch of Jalajeevan Mission or the decision to bring every farmer in the country under the Kisan-Samman Nidhi, or the law to free our Muslim sisters and daughters from the crisis of triple talaq or the law related to the protection of children; Work is being done very fast in every field. But besides these decisions and actions of the government and apart from serving you, I have taken another resolution. This resolution is to make more people aware of their responsibilities on more and more occasions. And that is: ‘One Indian – One Resolution’. Lokmanya Tilak Ji had said, ‘Swaraj is my birth right’. 75 years of independence is about to come; we have a new mantra – ‘Surajya is the duty of the countrymen’. I request you all to adopt this ‘One Indian-one resolution’. You must make at least one resolution and that resolution must be in the interest of the country and never step back from fulfilling the resolution. You can make any resolution that you want in the interest of Mumbai and in the interest of Maharashtra. the way, I can give you one suggestion right now, would you accept? The voice is rather inaudible. Will you agree? Will you agree? Will you accomplish it? Will you do it alone and also together with everyone? Friends, During Bappa’s immersion, a lot of plastic and other waste goes into our seas. This time we have to try and ensure that such items which increase water pollution will not be thrown in the water. Moreover, after immersion, we will engage in making sweet river water and other water sources besides the seas plastic free at personal level. Will you do this? I want to hear from the back, will you? Sure? I am sure that this enthusiasm of yours will play a huge role in making the entire country free of plastic. Once again, many best wishes and many congratulations to all of you for all the development projects. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for coming here taking time out from your busy schedules and arrangements during the festival. Jai Mumbai, Jai Maharashtra. Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Thanks a lot.