PM Modi bridges development gap in Assam, North-East

On the completion of three years in power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pre-poll pitch "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas" gave way to a new slogan, "Saath hai, Vishwas hai, ho raha Vikas hai".

Modi travelled to Assam to kick-start the Making Of Developed India (MODI) Fest in Assam with a day-long series of programmes at four venues. More importantly, PM Modi inaugurated the 9.15 km-long Bhupen Hazarika bridge — the longest in India — named after the region's beloved singer, between Dhola and Sadiya Ghat over Lohit river. The bridge will shorten the distance between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by 165 km and reduce travel time between the two states by five hours. The bridge is capable of bearing the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank. It will improve the movement of civilian and military vehicles to strategic locations, all the way up to Anini in Arunachal Pradesh.

Modi said the bridge was planned during Atal Behari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister, but the project was kept in abeyance after the UPA government came to power.

PM Modi also laid the foundation of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Assam's Dhemaji district and congratulated the Sarbananda Sonowal-led Assam government on completing one year in power.

Modi said the state was in a pit when BJP government was formed in Assam. "Taking it out of the pit was a challenge. I congratulate Chief Minister Sonowal and his ministers for trying to put the state back on track," he said. He said the institute would not only benefit Assam and the northeast, but will change the fortunes of rural India. "This is not the time to progress slowly. Technology has changed in the last 25 years. The rural populace should also reap the benefits of this technical advancement. We want to double the income of farmers by 2022," he added.

He alleged that during the UPA regime, only 15 labs to test soil was set up in the country. "Tokenism is of no use. We started a movement and now there are over 9,000 labs. We will increase this number," Modi said. Talking about the development activity in the Northeast making rapid strides, he added, "The northeast will be known as the New Economy, New Energy, New Empowerment. It will be the new engine of the growth in India," he said. Later in the evening, PM Modi laid the foundation for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari. The 750-bed facility, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,123 crore, will have a facility for 100 MBBS students annually, a nursing college for 60 students and 22 super specialty departments including 16 operation theatres.

At 5.26 pm on Friday, Modi arrived at Khanapara Veterinary Field for a public meeting. "I have been getting the favour of 125 crore people. When I spoke about building toilets in my speech at the Red Fort, it raised eyebrows. But I am aware about the problems of the underprivileged. At a time when there were debates on whether nine or 12 gas cylinders should be allotted to all households annually at subsidised rates, I urged people to surrender their subsidy for the sake of the underprivileged. About one crore families obliged. When I announced demonetisation, about 90 lakh people came forward to pay taxes," Modi said.

He said that people trusted him because he trusted people's decision, citing the example of starting the system of self-attestation of testimonials. "I don't doubt people immediately. I believe they are honest. This is why I can take such decisions," he said.