Bhagwan Shrinathji Ki Jai!

Governor of Rajasthan Shri Kalraj Mishra ji, my friend Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot ji, Speaker of the Assembly Shri CP Joshi ji, Minister in the State Government Shri Bhajan Lal Jatav, my colleague in Parliament and BJP state President Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi ji, my Parliamentary colleagues sister Diya Kumari ji, Shri Kanak Mal Katara ji and Shri Arjunlal Meena ji, all other dignitaries present in the event and my dear brothers and sisters of Rajasthan!

I have once again got the opportunity to be present amidst you on this land of Lord Shrinathji and Mewar which is a symbol of heroism. Before coming here, I was fortunate to get a darshan of Lord Shrinathji. I have sought blessings from Shrinathji for the accomplishment of the resolutions of a developed India in this 'Azaadi Ka Amritkaal'.

Friends,

Today projects worth more than Rs 5,000 crore related to the development of Rajasthan are either being launched or the foundation stones are being laid. These projects will take the connectivity of Rajasthan to a new height. The six laning of National Highway 8 between Udaipur and Shamlaji will greatly benefit Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara regions. This will reduce the distance between Shamlaji and Kaya. With the construction of Bilara and Jodhpur sections, Jodhpur and the border area will be very easily accessible. A major advantage of this will also be that the distance from Jaipur to Jodhpur will also be reduced by 3 hours. The projects of Charbhuja and Neechli Oden will make it very easy to visit the World Heritage Sites Kumbhalgarh, Haldighati and Shrinathji. The railway line from Shri Nathdwara to Deogarh Madariya will connect Mewar with Marwar. This will be of great help to the marble, granite and mining industries as well as traders. I congratulate all the people of Rajasthan for these development projects.

Brothers & sisters,

The Government of India believes in the mantra of development of the country through development of the states. Rajasthan is one of the largest states in the country. Rajasthan is the symbol of India's bravery, India's heritage and culture. The more Rajasthan develops, the more India's development will gain momentum. And that's why our government is laying maximum emphasis on modern infrastructure in Rajasthan. And when I talk of modern infrastructure, it doesn't just mean rail and road. Modern infrastructure increases connectivity in cities and villages, reducing distance. Modern infrastructure increases facilities in the society and connects the society. Modern infrastructure enhances digital services and makes life easier for the people. Modern infrastructure, while promoting heritage, also accelerates development. When we talk about the resolve of a developed India in the coming 25 years, this very infrastructure is emerging as a new force at its core. Today, unprecedented investment is being made on all kinds of infrastructure in the country and work is going on at an unprecedented pace. Be it railways, highways or airports, the Government of India is investing thousands of crores of rupees in every sector. In this year's budget too, the Government of India has decided to spend Rs 10 lakh crore on infrastructure.

Friends,

When there is so much investment on infrastructure, it has a direct impact on the development as well as employment opportunities in that area. When new roads and new railway lines are built, when crores of houses are built under the PM Awas Yojana in villages, when crores of toilets are constructed, when lakhs of kilometres of optical fibre is laid in villages, and water pipes are laid for every household, then the local small businessmen who supply such things, those small shopkeepers and the labourers in that area also get a lot of benefit due to this. These schemes of the Government of India have given a new impetus to the economy.

But friends, some people in our country have become victims of such twisted ideology, filled with so much negativity that they do not want to see anything good happening in the country. And they only like to create controversy. Now you might have heard some people say 'Atta Pehle Ki Data Pehle' (wheat flour first or data first?) and 'Sadak Pehle Ki Satellite Pehle' (Roads first or Satellite first)? But history is a witness to the fact that it is necessary to develop modern infrastructure in addition to the basic facilities for sustainable and rapid development. Those who look at everything through the prism of vote-bank at every step, they are never able to formulate schemes keeping in mind the future of the country.

We see many a time; a water tank is built in the village but it becomes inadequate within 4-5 years. There are a number of roads or flyovers which seem inadequate in 4-5 years. Because of this mindset in our country, the construction of infrastructure was not given priority. Consequently, the country has suffered a lot. For example, if enough number of medical colleges had been built before, then there would not have been such a shortage of doctors in the country. If the railway lines had been electrified earlier, then there would not have been any need to spend thousands of crores of rupees to get this work done now. Had the piped water supply been in place earlier, then today Jal Jeevan Mission would not have to be launched with an expenditure of Rs 3.5 lakh crore. People full of negativity neither have any foresight nor are they able to think beyond political gains.

Just imagine, what would have happened if the Nandsamand dam or the Tantol dam, which is called the lifeline of Nathdwara, had not been built? And the people of Rajasthan and Gujarat keep talking about Lakha Banjara. Lakha Banjara had dedicated his life to solve water scarcity problem. If you ask who worked so much for water and who built stepwells around, they would say that it's Lakha Banjara; if you ask who built the pond there, they would say it's Lakha Banjara. This is said in Gujarat as well as in Rajasthan. That means, everyone believes that anyone who solved the problem related to water, it was Lakha Banjara. But today the situation is such that if this same Lakha Banjara contests the elections, then these negative-minded people will try to corner him too and will try to form an alliance of political parties for the same.

Friends,

Rajasthan has also suffered a lot as a result of not building infrastructure in a foresighted manner. You are very well aware how difficult it was to travel in this desert due to lack of connectivity. And this difficulty was not only limited to commuting. It also made agriculture, farming, trade and business difficult. The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana was launched in the year 2000 by Atal ji's government. Till 2014, about 3 lakh 80 thousand kilometres of rural roads were built. Despite this, lakhs of villages in the country lacked proper road connectivity. In 2014, we took a pledge that every village will be provided with metalled roads. In the last 9 years alone, we have built about 3.5 lakh kilometres of new roads in the villages. Out of these, more than 70,000 kilometres of roads have been built here in the villages of Rajasthan. Now most of the villages in the country are connected by pucca roads. Just imagine, if this work had been done earlier, how much easier it would have been for our brothers and sisters living in villages and towns.

Friends,

Apart from connecting the villages with roads, the Government of India is also engaged in connecting the cities with modern highways. Today the work of construction of the National Highways is being done at double the speed compared to pre-2014 period. As a result, several districts of Rajasthan have also benefitted. Recently, I have inaugurated a major section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dausa.

Brothers & Sisters,

Today India's society is an aspirational society. Today, in this decade of 21st century, people want to cover maximum distance in less time and want maximum number of facilities. Being in the government, it is the responsibility of all of us to fulfil this aspiration of the people of India and the people of Rajasthan. Besides the roads, we all know the importance of the railways to travel quickly. Even today, if the poor or the middle class wants to go somewhere with the family, the first choice is always railways. That's why today the Government of India is improving and modernizing its decades-old rail network. Be it modern trains, modern railway stations or modern railway tracks, we are working in all directions simultaneously at every level. Today Rajasthan has also got its first Vande Bharat Express. There was an age-old demand for Mavli-Marwar Gauge Conversion. It is being fulfilled now. Similarly, the work of converting the entire route between Ahmedabad and Udaipur into broad gauge has also been completed a few months ago. The people of Udaipur and its surrounding areas are greatly benefitted by the trains running on this new route.

Friends,

After making the entire rail network free of unmanned level crossings, we are now rapidly electrifying the entire network. Like the Udaipur railway station, we are modernizing hundreds of railway stations in the country and expanding their capacity. And besides all this, we are building special tracks and dedicated freight corridors for freight trains.

Friends,

In the last 9 years, the railway budget of Rajasthan has also increased 14 times as compared to 2014. In the last 9 years, about 75 percent of Rajasthan's rail network has been electrified. Here districts like Dungarpur, Udaipur, Chittor, Pali, Sirohi and Rajsamand have benefitted immensely due to gauge conversion and doubling. The day is not far when Rajasthan will also join the list of states with 100 percent electrification of railway lines.

Brothers & sisters,

With the better connectivity in Rajasthan, tourism and our pilgrimage sites here are benefitting a lot. This area of Mewar is part of the land of Haldighati. The stories of Rana Pratap's bravery, Bhamashah's dedication and Veer Panna Dhay's sacrifice for the protection of the nation are etched in every particle of this soil. Yesterday, the country commemorated Maharana Pratap ji with great devotion on his birth anniversary. It is necessary for us to take this rich heritage to the maximum number of countries and the world. That's why today the Government of India is working on different circuits for the development of its heritage. Pilgrimage places associated with Lord Shri Krishna are being connected through the Krishna Circuit. Here in Rajasthan too, Krishna Circuit is being developed to facilitate the darshan of Govind Dev Ji, Khatu Shyam Ji and Shrinathji.

Brothers & sisters,

The Government of India is working day and night considering service as devotion. Making life easier for the public is the priority of good governance of our government. Relentless work is going on to ensure enhancement of facilities, happiness and security in the life of every citizen. May Shrinathji's blessings be upon all of us! With this wish, I once again congratulate all of you for the development projects. Thank you very much.

Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

Thank you!

*****

DS/ VJ