Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!          

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Greetings to everybody!

Governor of Telangana Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan ji, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet Shri Kishan Reddy ji and Bhagwanth Khuba ji, my fellow parliamentarians Bandi Sanjay Kumar ji and Shri Venkatesh Netha ji, other dignitaries, brothers and sisters!

My respectful greetings to the whole of Telangana from the land of Ramagundam! I was told and I was also watching on the TV screen that thousands of farmer brothers and sisters from 70 assembly constituencies of Telangana are also associated with us in this program. I also welcome all those farmer brothers and sisters.

Friends,

Today, development projects worth more than Rs 10,000 crore for Telangana have been either inaugurated or their foundation stones laid. These projects are going to give a boost to both agriculture and industry here. Along with a fertilizer plant, a new rail line and a highway, industries will also expand. These projects will create new employment opportunities and improve the Ease of Living of common man in Telangana. I congratulate the countrymen and the people of Telangana for all these projects.

Friends,

The entire world has been battling the Corona pandemic for the last two-and-a-half years. On the other hand, the ongoing conflicts, tensions and military operations are also affecting the country and the world. But in the midst of these adversities, today we are hearing one more thing prominently all over the world. All the experts of the world are saying that India will become the third largest economy in the world very soon and India is moving rapidly in that direction. All the experts are also saying that the amount of growth that happened in the 30 years after the 90s is going to happen in just a few years from now. After all, why do the world and the economic pundits have so much faith in India today? The biggest reason for this is the changes that have happened in India in the last eight years. The country has changed the old ways of functioning in the last eight years. There has also been a change in the thinking about governance as well as the approach in these eight years. Be it infrastructure, government processes or Ease of Doing Business, these changes are driving the Aspirational Society of India. A new India aspiring to develop and full of self-confidence is before the world.

Brothers and sisters,

Development for the country is a 24-hour, 7 days and 12 months mission for us. When we launch one project, we start working on many new projects simultaneously. We are experiencing this here today as well. And it is also our endeavor that the work for the project for which the foundation stone is laid should be done expeditiously and it should be completed quickly. This fertilizer factory in Ramagundam is one such example. Its foundation stone was laid in 2016 and today it has been dedicated to the nation.

Brothers and sisters,

The India of the 21st century can move forward only by setting big goals and achieving them fast. And when the goals are big, new methods have to be adopted and new systems have to be developed. Today, the Central Government is sincerely engaged in this effort. The country's fertilizer sector is also witnessing this. We have seen that the country used to import fertilizers from foreign countries for the last few decades. The factories which were set up to meet the demand of urea were also closed due to obsolete technology. And this included the fertilizer factory in Ramagundam. Apart from this, there was another huge problem. Instead of reaching the farmers, the expensive urea imported from abroad was siphoned to illegal factories stealthily. As a result, farmers had to stand in queues overnight for urea and at times had to face sticks. Farmers faced the same problem every year, every season before 2014.

Friends,

The first thing the Central Government did in this regard was 100 percent neem coating of urea after 2014. This stopped the black marketing of urea. The urea which used to reach the chemical factories also stopped. The farmers did not have the expertise how much urea has to be applied in the field. Therefore, we launched a nationwide campaign to give soil health cards to farmers. The soil health cards helped the farmers to make informed decisions regarding the use of urea and not use urea unnecessarily to increase the yield. Moreover, they also started to understand the nature of the soil.

Friends,

We also started a huge task regarding self-reliance in urea. It was necessary to restart the five big fertilizer factories of the country which were lying closed for years. Now fertilizer production has started in Gorakhpur in UP. The Ramagundam fertilizer factory has also been inaugurated. When these five factories become operational, the country will start getting 60 lakh tonnes of urea. It means thousands of crores of rupees will be saved from going abroad and farmers will get urea more easily. The Ramagundam fertilizer plant will help farmers in Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. With the opening of this plant, other business opportunities will also be created around the region and work related to logistics and transport will start. In other words, the 6,000 crore rupees that the Central Government has invested here is going to benefit the youth of Telangana much more.

Brothers and sisters,

We are laying equal emphasis on new technology to modernize the country's fertilizer sector. India has developed the nanotechnology of urea. The benefit that accrues from one sack of urea is equivalent to one bottle of nano urea only.

Friends,

The importance of self-sufficiency in fertilizers can be seen in the context of the present global situation. The fertilizer prices increased across the world following the outbreak of Corona and war (between Russia and Ukraine). But we did not burden our farmer brothers and sisters following the increase in prices of fertilizers. It costs the Central Government Rs. 2,000 for every bag of urea which is imported. But the government does not charge Rs 2,000 to the farmers. The Government of India bears the major part of the expenses and the farmers get one fertilizer bag for just Rs. 270. Similarly, a bag of DAP also costs the government about Rs 4,000. But we don't charge 4,000 rupees to the farmers. The government gives subsidies of more than 2,500 rupees per bag to the farmers.

Friends,

The Indian government has spent about 10 lakh crore rupees to provide cheaper fertilizers to the farmers in the last eight years so that they are not overburdened. Remember this figure, friends, and do tell it to others as well. This year itself, the Central Government will spend more than 2.5 lakh crore rupees to provide cheap fertilizers to the farmers. Two-and-a-half lakh crore rupees! Apart from this, our government has also transferred about 2.25 lakh crore rupees directly to the bank accounts of the farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. When there is a government in Delhi which keeps the interests of the farmers paramount, it takes forward many such projects and works for the betterment of the farmers.

Friends,

For decades, the farmers of our country were also struggling with another problem related to fertilizers. Such a fertilizer market had developed over the decades that different types and brands of fertilizers were being sold in the market. As a result, farmers used to be cheated. Now the Central Government has also started providing relief to the farmers in this regard. Now there will be only one brand of urea in the country and that is ‘Bharat Urea’. Its price as well as its quality has also been settled. All these efforts are proof of how we are reforming the system for the farmers of the country, especially the small farmers.

Friends,

Another challenge has been the infrastructure of connectivity in our country. Today the country is also taking care of this issue as well. Rapid work is in progress on highways, modern railways, airports, waterways and internet highways in all the states of the country. Now it is getting new energy from the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Do you remember what used to happen earlier? Special zones were declared for industries. But it used to take several years for the basic facilities like road, electricity and water to reach there. We are now changing this working style. Now all the stakeholders and agencies involved in the project work together on a defined strategy on infra projects. As a result, the possibility of unnecessary delay in projects is also coming to an end.

Friends,

The new railway line connecting Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam districts is dedicated to your service today. This rail line will not only benefit the local people here, but will also benefit the entire Telangana. This will benefit the power sector and industries of Telangana and create new employment opportunities for the youth. Due to continuous efforts in the last four years, this railway line is ready and its electrification has also been done. There will be reduction in the transportation cost of coal to power plants and pollution will also be reduced.

Friends,

Today, the widening of three highways has started which will directly benefit the coal belt, industrial belt and sugarcane farmers. Here, our farmer brothers and sisters are also engaged in increasing the production of turmeric. Be it sugarcane farmers or turmeric growers, it will now become easy for them to transport their produce. Similarly, the widening of the road between the coal mines and power plants will provide convenience and will reduce time. The connectivity to Hyderabad-Warangal Industrial Corridor and Kakatiya Mega Textile Park will also improve.

Friends,

When there is speedy development in the country, some people with a perverted mind and for their political interests start spreading rumours to instigate the people. Similar rumours are being circulated in Telangana these days regarding 'Singareni Collieries Company Limited-SCCL' and various coal mines. And I have heard that it is being instigated from Hyderabad by giving new colours to it. Now that I am amongst you, I would like to share some facts with you. The people spreading this rumour do not even know that their lies will be exposed. Understand the biggest lie and journalist friends who are sitting here should take a closer look at it. The State Government of Telangana holds 51% stake in SCCL, while the Government of India holds only 49% stake. The Central Government cannot take any decision regarding the privatization of SCCL on its own as 51% stake is with the state government. I reiterate that no proposal for privatization of SCCL is under consideration with the Central Government nor does the Central Government have any such intention. And therefore, I urge my brothers and sisters not to pay any heed to such rumours. Let these traders of lies live in Hyderabad.

Friends,

We have seen scams of thousands of crores of rupees in the country regarding coal mines. The country as well as the workers, the poor and the areas where these mines were located suffered losses due to these scams. Today, keeping in view the increasing demand of coal in the country, coal mines are being auctioned with complete transparency. Our government has also created DMF i.e. District Mineral Fund to give benefits to the people living in the area from where the minerals are extricated. Thousands of crores of rupees have been released to the states under this fund also.

Brothers and sisters,

We want to take Telangana forward by following the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas'. With this belief that we will continue to receive your blessings for the rapid development of Telangana, once again many congratulations to you for the numerous development works. I am very thankful to my farmer brothers who came in such large numbers. Today some people in Hyderabad will not be able to sleep. Thank you.

Speak with me Bharat Mata ki – Jai. Clench your fists and speak with full force:

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Thanks.

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VJ/VK/AK