Governor of Meghalaya Brig. BD Mishra ji, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Sangma ji, my Cabinet colleagues Shri Amit Bhai Shah, Sarbananda Sonowal ji, Kiren Rijiju ji, G Kishan Reddy ji, BL Verma ji, Chief Ministers of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Sikkim and my dear brothers and sisters of Meghalaya!

Khublei Shibon! (Greetings in Khasi and Jaintia) Nameng ama! (Greetings in Garo) Meghalaya is a state rich in nature and culture. This richness is also reflected in your hospitality. Today once again we have got the opportunity to participate in this event to celebrate the development journey of Meghalaya. Heartiest congratulations to all my brothers and sisters of Meghalaya for the dozens of projects related to connectivity, education, skills and employment!

Brothers & Sisters,

Coincidentally today, as the finals of the Football World Cup is taking place, I am present here in the football field among the football lovers. The football match is going on there while at the same time we are competing for development in this football field. Even though the match is taking place in Qatar, the excitement and enthusiasm is no less here. And friends, as I am in the football field and the football fever is everywhere, then why don't we talk in terms of football? Let us take the analogy of football. We all know this rule in football; if someone behaves against sportsmanship spirit, he is thrown out with a Red Card. Similarly, in the last 8 years, we have shown Red Cards to many obstacles that came in the way of development for the North East. We are making sincere efforts to eliminate corruption, discrimination, nepotism, violence, stalled projects as well as vote bank politics. But you know, the entire country knows that the roots of these diseases run very deep. So we all have to work together to uproot these issues. We are also witnessing positive results of our efforts to speed up the development works and make them more effective. Not only that, today the central government is moving forward with a new approach regarding sports. It has benefitted the North East, my soldiers in the North East and our sons and daughters here. The country's first Sports University is in the North East. Today, work on 90 projects like multipurpose hall, football ground, athletics track is going on in the North East. Today I wish to say one thing from Shillong. Even though our eyes are on the game going on in Qatar, where  foreign teams are playing, I have complete confidence in the youth power of my country. That's why I can say with confidence that the day is not far when we in India will celebrate such an event and cheer for the tricolour.

Brothers & Sisters,

Development is not limited to these rituals like budget, tender, foundation stone laying ceremonies and inaugurations. These used to happen even before the year 2014. People would reach to cut ribbons; leaders would be garlanded; slogans of 'Zindabad' would also be raised. Then what has changed today? The change today lies in our intentions. The change lies in our resolutions, our priorities, work culture, the processes and results. The resolution is to build a developed India with modern infrastructure and modern connectivity. The intention is to connect every region, every section of India with the mission of rapid development, with everyone's efforts for the development of India. The priority is to remove deprivation, reduce distances, encourage capacity building and provide more opportunities to the youth. Change in work culture means that every project and every programme should be completed within the time limit.

Friends,

After we changed the priorities of the Central Government, its positive impact too is clearly visible across the country. The central government is spending Rs 7 lakh crore just for infrastructure in the country this year.! Brothers and sisters of Meghalaya and the entire North east, please remember this figure - Rs 7 lakh crore! While 8 years ago this expenditure was less than Rs 2 lakh crore. That is, even after 7 decades of independence, it had reached only 2 lakh crore rupees. But within 8 years we have increased the capacity almost 4 times! Today, various states are also competing in terms of developing infrastructure. There is a competition for development. The greatest beneficiary of this change that has taken place in the country today is my North East. Work is going on at a rapid pace to connect all the capitals of North East including Shillong with rail service. Before the year 2014, only 900 flights could operate every week. Today the number has reached about 1900. Earlier it used to be 900; now it is 1900. Today, air service is running on 16 routes in Meghalaya under the UDAN scheme. Due to this, the people of Meghalaya are getting the benefit of affordable air service. Farmers in Meghalaya and North East are also benefiting from better air connectivity. With the Krishi Udaan scheme of the central government, the fruits and vegetables from here are easily reaching the markets of the country and abroad.

Friends,

Meghalaya's connectivity is going to be further strengthened by the projects that have either been inaugurated or the foundation stones of which have been laid today. In the last 8 years, 5000 crore rupees have been invested in the construction of the National Highway in Meghalaya. The number of rural roads built in the last 8 years under the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana in Meghalaya is seven times more than in the previous 20 years.

Brothers & Sisters,

Digital connectivity is creating new opportunities for the youth power of the North East. Digital connectivity not only benefits the communication sector but also increases facilities and opportunities in sectors like tourism, technology, education and healthcare. Besides, the potential of the rapidly emerging digital economy in the world also increases. Compared to 2014, the optical fiber coverage in the North East has increased almost 4 times and in Meghalaya this has increased more than 5 times. 6,000 mobile towers are being set up for better mobile connectivity in every corner of the North East. More than 5 thousand crore rupees are being spent for the same. The inauguration of several 4G mobile towers in Meghalaya today will give an impetus to these efforts. This infrastructure is going to open up new opportunities for the youth here. The inauguration of IIM and foundation stone laying of Technology Park in Meghalaya will also expand the opportunities for education and income. Today, more than 150 Eklavya Model Schools are being set up in the tribal areas of the North East, out of which 39 are in Meghalaya. In addition, the youth are going to get the benefit of professional education from institutes of professional education like IIMs.

Brothers & Sisters,

The BJP-NDA government is working sincerely for the development of the North East. This year itself, 3 new schemes have been started, which are either directly for the North East or are going to benefit the North East the most. A ropeway network is being built under the Parvatmala scheme. This will increase the facilities in and around the famous tourist spots of the North East and will also lead to the development of tourism. 'PM DevINE' scheme is going to give a new impetus to the development of the North East. With this scheme, major development projects for the North East will be approved more easily. Here, the means of livelihood for the women and the youth will also be developed. A budget of 6000 crore rupees has been fixed for the coming 3-4 years under PM-DevINE.

Brothers & Sisters,

The parties which were in government for a long time had the idea to 'divide' the North East; but we have come up with the idea of 'DevINE'. Be it different communities, or different regions, we are removing all kinds of divisions. Today, in the North East, we are not drawing borders of disputes, but we are constructing corridors of development; we are emphasizing on that. In the last 8 years, many groups have left the path of violence and have opted for the path of permanent peace. To ensure that AFSPA is no longer needed in the North East, the situation is constantly being improved with the help of the state governments. Not only this, the border disputes between the states, which were going on for decades, are being resolved.

Friends,

For us, the North East and our border areas are not the end points but the gateway to security and prosperity. The security of the nation is also ensured from here and trade and business with other countries also takes place from here. That's why there is another important scheme, which is going to benefit the North Eastern states. This plan is about developing vibrant border villages. Under this, better facilities will be developed in the border villages. For a long time, there was a misconception in the country that if the border areas were developed and the connectivity improved then the enemies would benefit. I can't even imagine that such was the mindset once. Due to this mindset of the previous governments, connectivity could not be improved in all the border areas of the country including the North East. But today, overtly, with confidence, the construction work for new roads, new tunnels, new bridges, new rail lines, new airstrips, and everything that is necessary, is going on at a fast pace one after the other. We are engaged in turning the border villages which were once deserted, into vibrant villages. The speed with which we work in our cities is necessary on our borders too. Consequently, tourism will expand here and those who have left the village will also come back.

 Friends,

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the Vatican City, where I met His Holiness the Pope. I have also invited him to visit India. This meeting left a deep impression on my mind. We both had discussed the challenges that the entire humanity is facing today. Consensus was made for united efforts on how everyone can be benefitted with the spirit of unity and harmony. We have to strengthen this spirit.

Friends,

Our tribal society has benefited the most from the politics of peace and development. The development of tribal areas while maintaining the tradition, language and culture of the tribal society is the priority of our government. That's why we have removed the ban on cutting bamboo. This has boosted the manufacture of tribal products associated with bamboo. For value addition in the produce obtained from forests, 850 Van Dhan Kendras have been established in the North East. Many Self-Help Groups are associated with them, in which many of our mothers and sisters are working. Moreover, social infrastructure like houses, water, electricity and gas have also benefited the North East the most. In the past few years, electricity has reached 2 lakh households in Meghalaya for the first time. About 70 thousand houses have been sanctioned for the poor. About three lakh families have got the facility of tap water for the first time. The biggest beneficiaries of such facilities are our tribal brothers and sisters.

Friends ,

To ensure that this stream of rapid development in the North East continues to flow like this, your blessings are our energy.  The festival of Christmas is around the corner. Today, as I have come to the North East, I want to extend my heartiest wishes to all the countrymen and my brothers and sisters from the North East for the festival of Christmas, from this land. Once again, my heartiest congratulations to all of you! Khublei Shibon! (Thanks in Khasi and Jaintia) Mitela! (Thanks in Garo)

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

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DS/ VJ/IG/AK