Bharat Mata ki Jai

Bharat Mata ki Jai

Bharat Mata ki Jai

Vanakkam Tamil Nadu!

Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri R N Ravi Ji, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri MK Stalin Ji, My colleague in the Union Government, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia Ji, And sisters and brothers of Tamil Nadu, My greetings to all of you.

Friends,

It is always great to come to Tamil Nadu. It is the home of history and heritage. It is the land of language and literature. It is also a centre of patriotism and national consciousness. Many of our leading freedom fighters were from Tamil Nadu.

Friends,

I know that I have come to you at a festive time. In just a few days, the Tamil Puthandu will be here. This is a time for new energy, new hopes, new aspirations and new beginnings. Some new generation infrastructure projects will begin to serve the people from today. Some other projects will see work starting from now. These projects which cover roadways, railways and airways, will add cheer to the new year celebrations.

Friends,

In the past few years, India has been witnessing a revolution in terms of infrastructure. It is driven by speed and scale. When it comes to scale, you can just look at the Union Budget from earlier this year. We have set aside a record amount of Rupees 10 lakh crore for investment in infrastructure. This is five times more than that of 2014! The amount set aside for rail infrastructure is also an all-time record.

Friends,

As far as speed is concerned, some facts can give us the right perspective. The length of National Highways added per year has almost doubled when compared to the pre-2014 era. Before 2014, every year, 600 route kilometres of rail lines were electrified. Today, it is reaching about 4,000 route kilometres per year. The number of airports built until 2014 was 74. Since 2014, we have doubled it to almost 150. Tamil Nadu has a long coastline that is important for trade. The capacity augmentation of our ports has almost doubled when compared to the pre-2014 era. 

Speed and scale are not only being seen in physical infrastructure but also in social and digital infrastructure. As of 2014, India had about 380 medical colleges. Today, we have about 660! In the last 9 years, our country has almost tripled the number of AIIMS. We are the world’s number one in digital transactions. We have among the world’s most inexpensive mobile data. Over 6 lakh kilometres of optic fibre has been laid, connecting almost 2 lakh gram panchayats. And today, India has more rural internet users than urban users!

Friends,

What made all these achievements possible? Two things- work culture and vision. First is the work culture. Earlier, infrastructure projects meant delays. Now, they mean delivery. This journey from delays to delivery has happened due to our work culture. We feel accountable for every rupee that our taxpayers pay. We work with specific deadlines and achieve results even before them.

Our vision for infrastructure is also different from earlier. We do not see infrastructure as concrete, bricks and cement. We see infrastructure with a human face. It connects aspiration with achievement, people with possibilities, and dreams with reality. Take some of today’s projects for example. One of the roadways projects connects the cotton farmers of Virudhanagar and Tenkasi with other markets. The Vande Bharat Express between Chennai and Coimbatore connects small businesses with customers. The new terminal of Chennai airport brings the world to Tamil Nadu. It brings investment which creates income opportunities for the youth here.  On a road, railway track or metro, it’s not just the vehicles that gain speed. People’s dreams and spirit of enterprise also gain speed. The economy gets a boost. Each infrastructure project transforms the lives of crores of families.

Friends,

Tamil Nadu’s development is of great priority to us. Tamil Nadu has been allocated an all-time high budget of over Rupees Six Thousand Crore this year for rail infrastructure. The average amount allocated per year during 2009-2014 was less than Rupees Nine Hundred Crore. Between 2004 and 2014, the length of national highways added in Tamil Nadu was about Eight Hundred kilometres. Between 2014 and 2023, nearly Two Thousand kilometres of national highways were added!  In 2014-15, the investment in the development and maintenance of national highways in Tamil Nadu was around Rupees One Thousand Two Hundred Crore. In 2022-23, it increased 6-fold, to over Rupees Eight Thousand Two Hundred Crore. 

In the last few years, Tamil Nadu has seen a number of important projects. The Defence Industrial Corridor is strengthening India’s security and also creating jobs here. The recent announcement related to PM MITRA mega textile parks will also benefit Tamil Nadu’s textile sector. Last year, we laid the foundation stone for the Bengaluru-Chennai expressway. Construction of a multi-modal logistics park near Chennai is also going on. The entire East Coast Road from Mamallapuram to Kanyakumari is being improved under the Bharatmala project. There are so many such projects that are furthering the growth of Tamil Nadu. And today, some more projects are being inaugurated or getting foundation stones laid.

Friends,

Today, three important cities of Tamil Nadu-Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore are being directly benefited by the projects being inaugurated or started. The New Integrated Terminal Building is being inaugurated at the Chennai International Airport. This will cater to the growing passenger demand. This new terminal building has been designed to reflect the beauty of Tamil culture. You must have already seen some of the stunning photos. Be it the design of the roof, flooring, ceilings or murals, each of them will remind you of some aspect of Tamil Nadu. While tradition shines in the airport, it is also built for the modern needs of sustainability. It has been built using eco-friendly materials and also uses many green techniques such as LED lighting and solar energy.

Friends,

Chennai is also getting another Vande Bharat train, connecting it with Coimbatore. When the first Vande Bharat train came to Chennai, I remember that my young friends from Tamil Nadu were especially very excited. I saw some videos of the Vande Bharat train going viral on social media back then. This pride in ‘Made In India’ is natural in the land of the great VO Chidambaram Pillai.

Friends,

Whether it is the textile sector, MSMEs or industries, Coimbatore has been an industrial powerhouse. Modern connectivity will only increase the productivity of its people. Now, the journey between Chennai and Coimbatore will be only around 6 hours! This Vande Bharat Express also benefits textile and industrial hubs like Salem, Erode and Tirupur. 

Friends,

Madurai is said to be Tamil Nadu’s cultural capital. It is one of the most ancient cities in the world. The projects of today also boost this ancient city’s modern infrastructure. They provide ease of living and ease of travel to Madurai. Many districts in the Southwest and coastal parts of Tamil Nadu are also being benefited by many of today’s projects.

Friends,

Tamil Nadu is one of India’s growth engines. I am sure that the projects inaugurated today will give a big boost to the aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu. When top-quality infrastructure creates jobs here, incomes rise and Tamil Nadu grows. When Tamil Nadu grows, India grows. Thank you very much for your love. Vanakkam!

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DS/VJ/AK