*”Lays foundation stone for Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana“
*“Our pilgrimages, temples and places of faith are indelible marks of our civilization’s journey of thousands of years”
TTT NEWS NETWORK
NEW DELHI, 4 FEBRUARY 2024:
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for being present in Assam today with the blessings of Maa Kamakhya to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 11,000 crores. He said that the development projects of today will boost Assam’s connectivity to the North Eastern states as well as neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia while also boosting employment in the tourism sector and creating new opportunities for sporting talents in the state.
Recalling his recent visits to multiple pilgrimage sites, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for arriving before Maa Kamakhya today and laying the foundation stone of Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana. Throwing light on the concept and scope of the project, PM Modi informed that upon completion, it will further increase ease of access and comfort for the devotees while also giving a boost to the footfall. “Assam will become the gateway to tourism in the North East with an increase in the footfall of devotees for Maa Kamakhya’s darshan”, the Prime Minister said as he lauded the efforts of the state government and Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma
Highlighting the significance of Indian pilgrimage sites and temples, the Prime Minister emphasized that these places symbolize an indelible mark of our civilization over thousands of years, showcasing how Bharat has held on to every crisis it has faced. We have witnessed how the civilizations which were considered to be prosperous in the past, now stand in ruins but steps have been taken in the past 10 years with the help of policies focussing on both ‘Vikas’ (development) and ‘Virasat’ (heritage).
PM Modi underlined that the government’s focus on development along with heritage has massively benefitted the youth of India. Noting the growing enthusiasm for tourism and pilgrimages in the country, the Prime Minister informed about the record influx of devotees in Varanasi after the completion of the Kashi Corridor. “In the past year, 8.50 crore people have visited Kashi, more than 5 crore visited Mahakal Lok in Ujjain, and more than 19 lakh devotees visited Kedardham”, he informed. PM Modi also mentioned that Ayodhya has witnessed more than 24 lakh people in the past 12 days after the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple. He reiterated that a similar sight will unfold here after the completion of Maa Kamkhya Divya Lok Pariyojana.
Be it a rickshaw puller, taxi driver, hotel owner or street vendor, the Prime Minister noted that the livelihood of even the poorest gets a boost with the influx of pilgrims and devotees and informed about the government’s focus on tourism in this year’s budget. “Central government is about to initiate new schemes for the development of places of historical relevance”, PM Modi said, highlighting the numerous opportunities present before the North Eastern states in this regard. Therefore, the Prime Minister said, the government is giving special emphasis to the development of North Eastern states.
Pointing out the record number of tourist footfall in the North East in the last 10 years, the Prime Minister said that even though the beauty of the region existed before this, the number of tourists remained extremely low owing to the violence and lack of resources due to the neglect shown by previous governments. Mentioning poor air, rail and road connectivity in the region where traveling from one district to another took hours. PM Modi credited the double-engine government at the center and state level for all-around development in the state.
“Modi’s guarantee means the guarantee of fulfillment”, the Prime Minister said as he mentioned guaranteeing basic facilities to the poor, women, youth and farmers. He touched upon the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra and ‘Modi’s guarantee vehicle’ which is tasked with taking the benefits to those deprived of government schemes. “Around 20 crore people nationwide have directly participated in the Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra. A large number of people of Assam have also got its benefits”, he added.
Chief Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal were also present.
Background:
Providing world-class amenities to people visiting pilgrimage sites has been a key focus area of the Prime Minister. In yet another step in this endeavour, one of the key projects for which the foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister includes Maa Kamakhya Divya Pariyojana (Maa Kamakhya Access Corridor), which has been sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme. It will provide world-class amenities to pilgrims visiting the Kamakhya temple.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of multiple road upgradation projects worth over Rs. 3400 crore, under which 43 roads including 38 bridges will be upgraded as part of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Corridor Connectivity. The Prime Minister inaugurated two 4-laning projects, namely Dolabari to Jamuguri and Biswanath Chariali to Gohpur. These projects will help improve the connectivity to Itanagar and boost the overall economic development of the region.
Advertisement:
Add Comment