Har Har Mahadev!

My greetings to everybody!

UP Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, the state government ministers, legislators, other dignitaries and my dear brothers and sisters of Kashi!

It is the auspicious Navratri period and today is the day of worship of Maa Chandraghanta. It is my good fortune that today I am amongst you on this auspicious occasion in Kashi. With the blessings of Maa Chandraghanta, today another chapter is being added to the happiness and prosperity of Banaras. Today the foundation stone of the public transport ropeway has been laid here. Other projects worth thousands of crores rupees related to the all-round development of Banaras have either been inaugurated or their foundation stone laid. These include drinking water, health, education, cleanliness of Ganga ji, flood control, police facility, sports facility and many such projects. Today, the foundation stone of 'Centre of Excellence on Machine Tools Design' has also been laid at IIT BHU. Banaras is going to get another world class institute. Many congratulations to the people of Banaras and Purvanchal for all these projects.

Brothers and sisters,

Today the development of Kashi is being discussed all over the country and the world. Whoever is coming to Kashi is going back with new energy. You recall many people were apprehensive when the people of Kashi took a pledge to rejuvenate their city about 8-9 years ago. Many people thought that there would be no change in Banaras and the people of Kashi would not succeed. But the people of Kashi have proved every apprehension wrong with their hard work today.

Friends,

Today both the ancient and the new forms are visible simultaneously in Kashi. The people meeting me in India and abroad tell me that they are mesmerized by the reconstruction of Vishwanath Dham. People are impressed by various projects at Ganga Ghat. Recently, the world's longest river cruise, which was launched from Kashi, drew a lot of attention. There was a time when it was impossible to even think about it in Ganga ji. But the people of Banaras did this too. It is due to the efforts of the people that more than seven crore tourists come to Kashi in a year. And these seven crore people, who are coming here, are not only staying in Banaras, but are also enjoying ‘puri kachori’, ‘jalebi-launglata’, ‘lassi’ and ‘thandai’. And more than 50 lakh traders are coming to Banaras every month for Banarasi paan, wooden toys, Banarasi sarees, carpets etc. With the blessings of Mahadev, it is a great work which has been accomplished here. These people who are coming to Banaras are bringing with them means of income for every family of Banaras. The tourists coming here are creating new opportunities for employment and self-employment.

Friends,

The speed with which Banaras is developing in the last eight-nine years needs a new pace. Today, several projects related to tourism and beautification of the city have either been inaugurated and the foundation stone laid. Be it road, bridge, rail, airport and all the new means of connectivity, travelling to Kashi has become very easy. But now we have to go one step further. With the new upcoming ropeway, both the convenience and the attraction towards Kashi will increase further. Once the ropeway is built, the distance between Banaras Cantt Railway Station and Kashi Vishwanath Corridor will be reduced to just a few minutes. This will further improve the convenience of the people of Banaras. It will also address the problem of traffic jams between Cantt station and Godowlia to a great extent. 

Friends,

People from nearby cities and other states also come to Varanasi for different purposes. Over the years, they come to one particular area of Varanasi, finish their work and head to the railway or bus stand. They have a desire to visit Banaras, but they develop cold feet due to traffic jams. They prefer to spend their leisure time at the station itself. Such people will also be greatly benefited by this ropeway.

Brothers and sisters,

This ropeway project is not merely a transportation project. A ropeway station will be built above the Cantt Railway Station, so that people can take immediate advantage of it. Facilities like automatic stairs, lift, wheelchair ramp, restroom and parking will also be available there. There will also be food and beverage facilities and shopping facilities at the ropeway stations. It will develop as another center of business and employment in Kashi.

Friends,

Important steps have been taken in the direction of strengthening the air connectivity of Banaras. New ATC tower has been inaugurated today at Babatpur airport. Till now, it had the capacity to handle about 50 aircraft from the country and abroad. This capacity will increase with the construction of a new ATC tower. It will be easier to expand the airport in the future.

Brothers and sisters,

Various projects under the Smart City Mission will also increase facilities and improve the means of transportation in Kashi. The floating jetty is being developed keeping in mind the small needs of the devotees and tourists in Kashi. A huge network of sewage treatment has been developed in the cities along the Ganges under the Namami Gange Mission. You are witness to the rejuvenated ghats of the Ganges in the last 8-9 years. Now a huge campaign related to the environment is about to be launched on both sides of the Ganges. The government is making efforts to promote natural farming in a stretch of 5 kilometers on both sides of the Ganges. Announcements to this effect have also been made in this year's budget. New centers are being set up for fertilizers and natural farming. 

Friends,

I am also happy that the entire eastern Uttar Pradesh along with Banaras is becoming an important center of agriculture and agriculture exports. Today, many modern facilities related to processing, storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables have come up in Varanasi. Today, Banaras's ‘langda’ mango, Ghazipur's okra and green chillies, Jaunpur's radish and melons have started reaching the foreign markets. The fruits and vegetables grown in these small towns are now available in the markets of London and Dubai. And we all know that the more exports mean more money at the hands of the farmers. The integrated pack house which has been built in Karkhiyaon Food Park is going to help the farmers and florists a lot. Today, projects related to the police force were also inaugurated here. I am sure that this will boost the morale of the police force and the law and order situation will also improve.

Friends,

The path of development that we have chosen has both convenience as well as sensitivity. Drinking water has been one of the challenges in the region. Today many projects related to drinking water have been inaugurated and work has also started on new projects. Our government is running a water campaign ‘Har Ghar Nal’ to mitigate the problems of the poor. Tap water has started reaching eight crore new homes across the country in the last three years. Thousands of people in Kashi and nearby villages have benefited. The people of Banaras have also benefited a lot from the Ujjwala Yojana. The new bottling plant at Sewapuri will also help the beneficiaries of this scheme. This will facilitate the supply of gas cylinders in eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar.

Friends,

Today the government at the Center and in UP is a government that cares for the poor. And you may call me Prime Minister or the government, but Modi considers himself as your ‘sevak’. With this sense of service, I am serving Kashi, UP and the country. A short while ago, I was talking to the beneficiaries of various schemes of my government. Some got eyesight, while some were helped to earn their livelihood with government help through the ‘Swasth Drishti Samridh Kashi’ campaign. I met a gentleman and he was saying – ‘Sir, about 1,000 people have been treated for cataract free of cost under the Swasth Drishti scheme’. I am satisfied that today thousands of people in Banaras are getting the benefits of the government schemes. You recall the days before 2014, when even opening bank accounts was a herculean task. The normal family could not even think about taking loans from banks. Today even the poorest of the poor families have a Jan Dhan bank account. The government help comes directly to his bank account today. Today, be it a small farmer, a small businessman, or self-help groups of our sisters, everyone gets easy loans under schemes like Mudra. We have also linked herdsmen and those involved in aquafarming with the Kisan Credit Cards. For the first time, our street vendor colleagues have also started getting loans from banks under the PM SVANidhi Yojana. We have also come up with the PM Vishwakarma scheme in this year’s budget to help our Vishwakarma colleagues. Our endeavour is that every Indian should contribute in building a developed India in the Amrit Kaal and no one should be left behind.

Brothers and sisters,

I just spoke to the winners of the Khelo Banaras competition. More than one lakh youth participated in different sports disciplines. I congratulate everyone in my Banaras parliamentary constituency. New facilities are also being developed here so that the youth of Banaras get maximum opportunities to play. Phase-1 of the redevelopment of Sigra Stadium started last year. Today the foundation stone of Phase-2 and Phase-3 has also been laid. Now, modern facilities for different sports and hostels will be developed here. Now the International Cricket Stadium is also going to be built in Varanasi. When this stadium is ready, another attraction will be added to Kashi.

Brothers and sisters,

Today UP is setting new dimensions in every field of development. Tomorrow i.e. on March 25, one year of Yogi ji's second innings is being completed. Two-three days back, Yogi ji has also created the record of being the longest serving Chief Minister of UP. Coming out of the old image of despair, UP is moving in a new direction of hope and aspiration. Where security and convenience flourish, there is bound to be prosperity. This is what is happening in Uttar Pradesh today. The new projects which have been inaugurated today also strengthen the path of prosperity. Once again, many congratulations to all of you for various development projects. I wish you very much. Har Har Mahadev!

Thanks.

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

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DS/VJ/IG/AK