DIBRUGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the double-engine government transformed Manipur from a “blockade state” into one ready with routes for international trade.
“We should remember how the previous government made Manipur a blockade state,” Modi told a crowd at Imphal in the election-bound state after inaugurating several projects.
“Manipur has transformed from a blockade state into one with routes for international trade,” he added.
He accused the previous Congress government of creating a divide between the people of the Imphal Valley and the hills that surround it. He said the state’s BJP government had taken the initiatives of “Go To Hills” and “Go To Village” to bridge the gap.
Modi also said that the double-engine government ensured there is no fire of insurgency and insecurity and that there is the light of peace and development. He mentioned that hundreds of youth in the Northeast had joined the mainstream of development by shunning the gun.
He said there was a time when Manipur was left to its fate but now, he brought the Government of India to people’s doorsteps in the state.
“I asked the leaders, officers and ministers to regularly visit the region (Northeast), spend time and formulate need-based schemes. Five from the Northeast are in the central ministry,” Modi said.
Talking about the government’s various initiatives, he said only 6% of Manipur’s households had access to piped water till a few years ago but today, the Jal Jeevan Mission covered 60% of the households.
“More than 4.25 lakh people of Manipur are getting the benefit of Ayushman Bharat. This is the result of your one vote. You helped form a stable government and it is running with a full majority and full force,” Modi said.
He continued: “Even after 75 years of independence, Mount Harriet in Andaman & Nicobar Islands continued to be known so but we changed it to Mount Manipur. Tourists visiting Mount Harriet will now get to know more about Manipur.”
He raised pitch for oil palm plantation stating India spends thousands of crores of rupees in importing it. He said the Centre’s Rs 11,000 crore oil palm mission would hugely benefit the farmers of Manipur and the Northeast.
“Most of it will happen in the Northeast. It is happening in Manipur as well,” the PM said against the backdrop of protests in some parts of the Northeast against the initiative.
Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 22 development projects worth Rs 4,800 crore. Thirteen, worth Rs 1,850 crore, were inaugurated while the foundation stone was laid for the nine others worth Rs 2,950 crore.