The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth around Rs 7500 crores in Raipur, Chhattisgarh today. He dedicated and laid the foundation stone for 5 National Highway projects worth around Rs 6,400 crores. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the doubling of 103 km long Raipur - Khariar Road Rail Line which has been completed at a cost of Rs 750 crores, a 17 km long new railway line connecting Keoti - Antagarh developed at a cost of Rs 290 crores. Further, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation a bottling plant of the Indian Oil Corporation with a capacity of 60 thousand metric ton per annum at Korba constructed at a cost of over Rs 130 crores. He also flagged off Antagarh - Raipur Train via video link. Further, the Prime Minister initiated the distribution of 75 lakh cards to the beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked that today’s occasion is extremely significant for the development journey of Chhattisgarh as the state is receiving development projects worth more than 7000 crores in the sectors like infrastructure and connectivity. He underlined that the projects of today will make the lives of the people easier and strengthen the healthcare system in the state. He also emphasized that these projects will give rise to employment opportunities in the state while also benefiting the paddy farmers, mineral industry and tourism industry of Chhattisgarh. “The projects of today will mark a new journey of development and convenience in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh”, the Prime Minister said as he congratulated the people of the state for the projects. 

The Prime Minister emphasized that the delay in the development of any given region is directly related to the lack of infrastructure, Hence, the Prime Minister continued, the government is prioritizing infrastructure development in those specific regions which have lagged behind in terms of development. “Infrastructure means ease of living and ease of doing business. Infrastructure means employment opportunities and fast-paced development”, the Prime Minister asserted. He said that modern infrastructure development can also be witnessed in Chhattisgarh where in the last 9 years, road connectivity has expanded to thousands of tribal villages of the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana. He noted that the Government has approved projects of about 3,500 km long National Highway where about 3000 km have also been completed. The Prime Minister also mentioned that Raipur-Kodebod and Bilaspur-Pathrapali highways have been inaugurated today. “Be it rail, road, telecom, the Government has done unprecedented work in Chhattisgarh in the last 9 years to boost all forms of connectivity”, he added

The Prime Minister highlighted that modern infrastructure is also related to social justice and mentioned that the projects of today including the roads and railway lines that are connecting the settlements of the poor, Dalits, backward and tribals will improve connectivity to the hospitals for patients and women. He also highlighted that nine years ago, more than 20 percent of the villages in Chhattisgarh did not have any kind of mobile connectivity whereas today the number has come down to about 6 percent, and the farmers and laborers of the region are the biggest beneficiaries of this. He also pointed out that most of these tribal villages where connectivity has improved were the ones once affected by Naxalite violence. The Prime Minister informed that the Government is installing more than 700 mobile towers to ensure good 4G connectivity. He also stated that about 300 towers have already started functioning. The tribal villages that once fell silent can now hear the buzzing of the ringtones”, he added. The Prime Minister underlined that the advent of mobile connectivity has aided the people of the village in many tasks. “This is social justice. And this is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” the Prime Minister said.

“Today Chhattisgarh is connecting with two economic corridors”, the Prime Minister remarked as he asserted that the Raipur - Dhanbad Economic Corridor and Raipur - Vishakhapatnam Economic Corridor are going to change the fortunes of the entire region. He noted that the economic corridors are passing through aspirational districts that were once called backward, and where violence and anarchy once prevailed. He said that the Raipur-Vishakhapatnam Economic Corridor whose foundation stone has been laid today will become a new lifeline of this region as the journey between Raipur and Visakhapatnam will be reduced to half. He also mentioned that the 6-lane road will connect the paddy belt of Dhamtari, the bauxite belt of Kanker and the richness of handicrafts of Kondagaon to other parts of the country. The Prime Minister also appreciated the construction of tunnels and animal passes for the convenience of wildlife as this road will pass through the wildlife region. “The rail line from Dalli Rajhara to Jagdalpur and direct train service from Antagarh to Raipur will also make it easier to travel to far-flung areas”, Shri Modi added. 

“The Government is committed to creating new opportunities and setting up more industries in areas of natural wealth”, the Prime Minister said as he highlighted the efforts in this direction in the last 9 years which have given new energy to industrialization in Chhattisgarh. He informed that due to the policies of the Government, Chhattisgarh witnessed an increase in funds in the form of revenue. He noted that Chhattisgarh has started getting more funds in the form of royalty, especially after the change in the Mines and Mineral Act. In the four years before 2014, the Prime Minister informed that Chhattisgarh had received Rs 1300 crore as royalty whereas the state received about Rs 2800 crore between 2015-16 to 2020-21. He said that the work of development has been accelerated in districts with mineral wealth as a result of an increase in the District Mineral Fund. “Be it schools for children, libraries, roads, water arrangements, now the District Mineral Fund Money is being spent in many such developmental works”, he added. 

Highlighting that more than Rs 6000 crores are deposited today in more than 1 crore 60 lakh Jan Dhan bank accounts that have been opened in Chhattisgarh, the Prime Minister said that it belongs to the poor families, farmers and laborers who were once forced to keep it elsewhere. He also highlighted that the Jan Dhan accounts are assisting the poor in availing direct help from the government. The Prime Minister said that the Government is continuously working for the youth of Chhattisgarh towards creating employment and self-employment opportunities and informed that more than Rs 40,000 crores have been given to the youth of Chhattisgarh  under the Mudra Yojana, that has come to the aid of a large number of tribal youths and youths from poor families. He also mentioned that the Government has launched a special scheme worth lakhs of crores to help the small industries of the country during the Corona period where about 2 lakh enterprises of Chhattisgarh got assistance of about Rs 5000 crores.

The Prime Minister also touched upon PM Swanidhi Yojana which provides loans without guarantee to street vendors and mentioned that more than 60 thousand beneficiaries hailed from Chhattisgarh. He informed that the Government has provided more than Rs 25000 crores to Chhattisgarh for providing adequate employment under MNREGA in the villages. 

Noting that the distribution of Ayushman cards to 75 lakh beneficiaries is already underway, the Prime Minister emphasized the guarantee of free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year in more than 1500 big hospitals of  the state for the poor and tribal families. He expressed satisfaction that Ayushman Yojana is coming to the aid of the lives of poor, tribal, backward and Dalit families. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister assured to serve every family of Chhattisgarh with the same spirit of service.

Governor of Chhattisgarh, Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Shri Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Shri T S Singh Deo, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, and Members of Parliament among others were present on the occasion. 

Background

In a major push towards infrastructure development, the Prime Minister dedicated and laid the foundation stone for 5 National Highway projects worth around Rs 6,400 crores. The projects that will be dedicated to the nation include the 33 km long 4-laning of the Raipur to Kodebod section on the Jabalpur-Jagdalpur National Highway. Besides boosting tourism, the section is integral for the movement of raw goods, finished products of Steel plants near Jagdalpur and provides connectivity to iron ore-rich areas. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the 53 km long 4-lane Bilaspur-Pathrapali stretch of Bilaspur to Ambikapur section of NH-130. It will help improve the connectivity of Chhattisgarh with Uttar Pradesh and will boost the movement of coal by providing connectivity to coal mines in adjoining areas.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for 3 National Highway projects for the Chhattisgarh Section of the 6-lane Greenfield Raipur - Visakhapatnam corridor. These include the development of a 43 km long six-lane Jhanki-Sargi section on NH 130 CD; a 57 km long six-lane Sargi-Basanwahi section on NH 130 CD; and a 25 km long six-lane Basanwahi-Marangpuri section of NH-130 CD.  A key component is a 6-Lane tunnel of 2.8 km in length which comprises 27 animal passes and 17 monkey canopies for unrestricted wildlife movement in the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary area. These projects will provide better connectivity to rice mills in Dhamtari and bauxite-rich areas in Kanker and also benefit the handicraft industry in Kondagaon. Overall, these projects will give a major thrust to the socio-economic development of the region.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the doubling of 103 km long Raipur - Khariar Road Rail Line which has been completed at a cost of Rs 750 crores. It will ease transportation of coal, steel, fertilizers and other commodities from ports for industries in Chhattisgarh. He also dedicated to the nation a 17 km long new railway line connecting Keoti - Antagarh developed at a cost of Rs 290 crores. The new railway line will provide connectivity to Bhilai Steel Plant with Iron Ore Mines of Dalli Rajhara and Rowghat areas and will link remote areas of southern Chhattisgarh passing through dense forests.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation a bottling plant of the Indian Oil Corporation with a capacity of 60 thousand metric tons per annum at Korba, constructed at a cost of over Rs 130 crores. He also flagged off Antagarh - Raipur Train via video link. Further, the Prime Minister initiated the distribution of 75 lakh cards to the beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat.

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