RAMESWARAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong pitch for Tamil and asserted that all efforts are on to take the language across the world and asked the Tamil Nadu government to impart medical education in Tamil medium to benefit the poor.
In his address after laying foundation stone and dedicating to the nation projects cumulatively worth over Rs 8,300 crore, Modi, on the occasion of Ram Navami said Lord Ram's good governance is the foundation for nation building.
Inaugurating the new Pamban bridge here, he said it was the country's first vertical lift railway sea bridge.
Modi said efforts were on to take Tamil language, heritage to all corners of the world.
Without naming anyone, Modi said he gets letters from leaders of Tamil Nadu and "they do not sign in Tamil."
"The Government is constantly working to ensure that the Tamil language and Tamil heritage reach every corner of the world. Sometimes, I am surprised when I receive letters from some leaders of Tamil Nadu; none of them are signed in the Tamil language. If you are proud of Tamil, then I would request everyone at least sign your name in Tamil," said Modi.
Further, he batted for teaching medicine in Tamil medium in the state so that students from poor families are benefitted.
"I would urge the Tamil Nadu government to start medical courses in the Tamil language so that even the children of poor families can fulfil their dream of becoming doctors. Our effort is to ensure that the youth of our country do not have to go abroad to become doctors. In the last 10 years, Tamil Nadu has got 11 new medical colleges," Prime Minister Modi said.
Modi's remarks come as the MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government has locked horns with the BJP-led Central government over the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Stalin argued that the policy prioritises Hindi over regional languages, undermining the state's autonomy and linguistic diversity
The PM, referring to beneficiaries from the state in respect of several initiatives said despite increased allocation to Tamil Nadu, some "cry" over funds.
“In the last decade, the central government has allocated three times more funding to Tamil Nadu compared to the period before 2014…The infrastructure of Tamil Nadu is a top priority for the government. In the past decade, the state’s rail budget has increased more than sevenfold. Despite this significant growth, some people continue to complain without justification,” Modi said.
"Before 2014, only Rs 900 crore were allocated each year. You know who was the 'karta-dharta' of the INDI alliance at that time. However, this year, Tamil Nadu's rail budget has exceeded Rs 6000 crore," the Prime Minister said.
"Additionally, the Indian government is modernizing 77 railway stations, including the one in Rameswaram. In the past 10 years, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, a lot of work has been done on village roads and highways. After 2014, with the help of the Central Government, around 4000 kilometres of roads have been built in Tamil Nadu..." he said.
The Prime Minister noted that modern public transport like Chennai Metro is also increasing the ease of travel in Tamil Nadu. "In the last 10 years, more than 4 crore pucca houses have been given to poor families across the country, and under the PM Awas Yojana, more than 12 lakh pucca houses have been provided to my poor brothers and sisters here in Tamil Nadu..."he said.
Prime Minister Modi also said that the security and well-being of Tamil Nadu people remain a top priority for the government and through the dedicated efforts over 3,700 fishermen have been successfully repatriated from Sri Lanka over the past decade.
"Your security and well-being remain a top priority for the government. Through the dedicated efforts of the Indian government, over 3,700 fishermen have been successfully repatriated from Sri Lanka over the past decade. More than 600 fishermen were freed just in the last year alone. Some of our fishermen even faced capital punishment. However, we took decisive steps to ensure their safe return to the country," Prime Minister Modi said.
(With inputs from PTI , ANI)
