GUWAHATI:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Arunachal Pradesh could well light up the whole country if the state’s bountiful water resources were tapped.
“The rest of India doesn’t have the amount of water which the North-East has. So, know the strength of water in your state,” he told people at Arunachal Statehood Day celebration in Itanagar.
“There’s a saying that the water in the hills and the youths living there are of no use. I want to change that notion. The water in Arunachal gets wasted by flowing down. Power projects could change the fate of the state. We need power round the clock. It’s a difficult task, but since you have blessed me, I will fulfil your dream. So, let Arunachal walk hand in hand with the Centre,” he said. Earlier, laying the foundation of a power project and flagging off two trains, Modi said Arunachal would now get both “gati” (momentum) and “oorja” (energy).
“Arunachal is not connected to India today, rather India got connected to Arunachal. I am sure this will help promote tourism in the state,” he said.
The trains will ply between Naharlagun and Guwahati, and Naharlagun and New Delhi. The train to and from New Delhi is fully air-conditioned and it will be a weekly service. The Prime Minister identified connectivity as a major communication bottleneck in the North East and promised to do everything possible to overcome the same. He said ministers and officers had been assigned to visit the region on a regular basis to help remove the bottlenecks.
Modi also had a word of caution for the state governments in the region. “The Centre has allocated Rs 53,000 crore for the development of the NorthEast. This has to be utilised in totality. It should not go into the pockets of some,” he said.