BJP-led govt has allotted Tamil Nadu more funds than UPA regimes, says PM Modi
RAMANATHAPURAM: The BJP-led central government has provided Tamil Nadu three times the funds allocated by the earlier UPA regimes, of which the DMK was a part, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Rameswaram on Sunday, in an indirect attack on the Dravidian major which is in power in Tamil Nadu.
His government’s allocations had boosted Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial growth, he said. “Yet, some people have a habit of complaining without reason and they keep crying about things. Let them cry,” he added, during his address at a government event to open the first vertical span sea railway bridge at Pamban and flag off a train service linking the island to the mainland.
He also dedicated various completed projects worth Rs 8,300 crore to the nation and laid foundation stone for the four-laning works of a section of NH-40. Chief Minister MK Stalin, who earlier urged the PM to allay TN’s concerns about delimitation, skipped the event, although state ministers were in attendance.
Stating that the centre has prioritised TN’s infrastructure, Modi said the railway budget for the state had increased seven-fold in the past decade, from Rs 900 crore before 2014 to over Rs 6,000 crore now.
In tri-lingual speech in Tamil, Hindi and English, the PM invoked Tamil culture, tradition and language. Mocking leaders from Tamil Nadu for writing to him in English, he said, “Sometimes, I am surprised when I receive letters from some leaders of Tamil Nadu —not a single one signs their name in Tamil. Tamil is a matter of pride, and I urge everyone to at least sign their names in Tamil to honour this glorious language.”
Touching on the ongoing arrests of TN fishers by the Sri Lankan Navy, Modi, who was returning from his two-day visit to the island nation, said the centre stands firmly with fishermen in times of crisis. “Due to the efforts of the Indian government, more than 3,700 fishermen have been brought back safely from Sri Lanka in the last 10 years.
Of these, over 600 fishermen were freed just in the past year. You may also remember that some of our fishermen were sentenced to death. But we worked tirelessly to bring them back alive and reunite them with their families in Bharat.”
Noting that several states have started providing medical education in regional languages, the prime minister urged the state government to introduce medical courses in Tamil.
Stronger TN becomes, faster Bharat grows: Modi
“I urge the Tamil Nadu government to introduce medical courses in Tamil, so that even children from underprivileged families can pursue their dream of becoming doctors,” he said. “I firmly believe that the stronger Tamil Nadu becomes, the faster Bharat’s growth will be,” he said.
Regarding the new Pamban bridge, Modi said, “Pamban bridge supports both ease of doing business and ease of travel. It will have a positive impact on the lives of lakhs of people. The new train service will improve the connectivity from Rameswaram to Chennai and other parts of the country. This will benefit both trade and tourism in Tamil Nadu. New job and business opportunities will also be created for the youth.”
Listing the welfare schemes the centre had sanctioned to the state, he said rural roads had been laid under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 12 lakh houses built under PM Awas Yojana, one crore treatments provided under Ayushman Bharat Yojana, piped water connections were provided to 1.12 crore families, medicines at an “80% discount” made available from more than 1400 Jan Aushadhi Kendra and 11 new medical colleges sanctioned in TN. TN Governor R N Ravi, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishaw, state ministers Thangam Thennarasu, RS Raja Kannappan, MPs and other officials attended the event.