New Delhi, July 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
that to advance Eastern India, Bihar must be transformed into a
developed state. He said that rapid progress in Bihar is possible today because
both the Centre and the State have governments committed to Bihar’s development.
The PM further said this is the land of Champaran, a land that has shaped
history. During the freedom movement, this land gave Mahatma Gandhi a new
direction. He emphasized that the inspiration from this very land will now
shape Bihar’s new future. He was speaking while inaugurating and
dedicating to the nation development projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore in
Motihari, Bihar today.
Modi said that the 21st century is
witnessing rapid global progress, noting that the dominance once held solely by
Western nations is now increasingly shared by Eastern countries, whose participation
and influence are growing. He said that Eastern nations are now gaining new
momentum in development.
Drawing a parallel, the Prime
Minister stated that just as Eastern countries are advancing globally, in
India, it is the era of the eastern states. He affirmed that in the coming
times, Motihari in the East becomes as prominent as Mumbai in the West. Modi
envisioned equal opportunities in Gaya as in Gurugram, industrial growth in
Patna akin to Pune, and development in Santhal Pargana comparable to Surat. He
expressed hope that tourism in Jalpaiguri and Jajpur would set new records like
Jaipur, and that the people of Birbhum would progress like those in Bengaluru.
PM Modi cited the data to
illustrating that during the 10 years of the previous governments when they
were in power at the Centre, Bihar received only around two lakh crore, remarking that this was a form of
political retaliation against the government led by Nitish Kumar. He
asserted that after coming to power in 2014, BJP government ended this politics
of vendetta against Bihar, stressing that under their rule over the past 10
years, nearly 9 lakh crore have been allocated for
Bihar’s development. He pointed out that this is four times more than what
was provided under previous dispensation, affirming that this funding is being
utilized for public welfare and development projects across Bihar.
Underscoring the importance of
today’s generation in understanding the despair Bihar faced two decades ago, Modi
stated that under the rule of previous governments, development was stalled and
it was nearly impossible for funds meant for the poor to reach them. He
criticized the then leadership for being focused solely on looting money meant
for the poor. The Prime Minister praised the resilience of Bihar’s people,
calling it a land where the impossible is made possible.
PM commended the public for
liberating Bihar from the shackles of previous dispensation, enabling
direct delivery of welfare schemes to the poor. Modi also highlighted that over
the past 11 years, more than 4 crore houses have been built under the PM Awas
Yojana across the country, with nearly 60 lakh constructed in Bihar alone. He
noted that this figure surpasses the total population of countries like Norway,
New Zealand, and Singapore.
“In Motihari district alone, around
3 lakh families have received pucca houses, and the count continues to grow
rapidly. Over 12,000 families in the region have received the keys to their new
homes today”, Modi said, adding, more than 40,000 poor families have received
funds in their bank accounts to build pucca houses, with the majority belonging
to Dalit, Mahadalit, and backward communities.
The Prime Minister remarked that
under previous government rule, it was unimaginable for the poor to
receive such housing. He recalled that during their tenure, people feared even
painting their homes, worried that landlords would be targeted. He asserted
that leaders from the erstwhile ruling party could never have provided pucca
houses to the people.
MKS/VY/BHOR
