NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Centre was committed to the development of eastern states and bring them at par with western region of the country.
The prime minister, who met MPs of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal at his residence here, said the BJP government has initiated many development works in the eastern states.
This was Modi's first meeting with parliamentarians from Bihar after the new JD(U)-BJP alliance government was formed in the state, an official statement said.
The Bihar MPs expressed confidence that the pace of development works will pick up with the BJP-backed government in the state.
They also thanked the prime minister for speeding up the implementation of various long-pending schemes in the state, the statement said.
In comparison to western states, eastern states have been neglected and their development has not been balanced.
Therefore, in last three years, our government has started various development works, Modi was quoted as saying in the statement.
"The Centre is committed to develop eastern states at par with the western region. The MPs from eastern region should take a lead in this process," he said.
Talking to the parliamentarians, Modi also emphasised on the need for a "human touch" while connecting with people.
He also discussed about simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, stating that frequent polls in the country led to huge wastage of time and money, the statement said.
Hence, there is a need to create an environment for a public dialogue on the issue of simultaneous elections in the country, the prime minister said.
It was Modi's seventh meeting with BJP MPs at his residence during the ongoing monsoon session of parliament.
The meetings are being coordinated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.