The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation development projects in sectors like road, rail, gas pipeline, housing and clean drinking water worth more than Rs 12,600 crore in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh today. Shri Modi performed ‘bhoomi poojan’ of ‘Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan’ in Jabalpur in line with the 500th birth centenary celebrations of Rani Durgavati. The projects include the inauguration of more than 1000 houses constructed under the Light House Project in Indore, laying the foundation stone of multiple Jal Jeevan Mission projects in Mandla, Jabalpur and Dindori districts and dedication of Jal Jeevan Mission project in Seoni district, laying the foundation stone and dedication of multiple projects worth more than Rs 4800 crore for improving road infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh, dedication of rail projects worth more than Rs 1850 crore, Vijaipur - Auraiyan- Phulpur Pipeline Project and a new bottling plant in Jabalpur, and laying the foundation stone of Nagpur Jabalpur section (317 km) of Mumbai Nagpur Jharsuguda Pipeline Project.

The Prime Minister took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion and paid floral tributes to the statue of Veerangana Rani Durgavati

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister bowed before the virtuous land of Maa Narmada and said that he is witnessing Jabalpur in a totally new form as the city is brimming with passion, enthusiasm and excitement which reflects the spirit of the city. The Prime Minister remarked that the entire nation is celebrating the 500th birth anniversary of Veerangana Rani Durgavati with fervour and enthusiasm. During the conclusion of the Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatra, the Prime Minister informed that he had called to celebrate her Jayanti on the national level and today’s gathering signifies the same spirit. “We have gathered here to pay back our debts to the ancestors of India”, the Prime Minister said. Speaking about the project plan for Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan, the Prime Minister said that every mother as well as youth in the country would want to visit the place and expressed confidence that it would turn into a pilgrimage. He underlined the life of Rani Durgavati teaches us to live for the benefit of others and inspires us to do something for the motherland. The Prime Minister conveyed his best wishes to the entire tribal society, the people of Madhya Pradesh and the 140 crore citizens of the country on the occasion of the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavagti. The Prime Minister lamented the lack of space given to the ancestors of the land after India’s independence and said that the heroes of the land were forgotten. 

Speaking about the project of today worth about 12,000 crores, the Prime Minister said that it will transform the lives of lakhs of people including farmers and the youth. “With the advent of new industries in the region, the youth will now find jobs here”, he added. 

The Prime Minister underlined that providing a smoke-free environment in the kitchen for the mothers and sisters has been the top priority of the present government. Citing a research study, the Prime Minister informed that a smoke-emitting stove produces the equivalent of smoking 400 cigarettes in 24 hours. He also lamented the lack of effort from the previous government to provide a safe environment for women. 

Speaking about the Ujjwala scheme, the Prime Minister recalled the difficulties in getting a gas connection earlier. He also highlighted the reduction in gas prices during the festive period of Raksha Bandhan by the present government which made gas cylinders cheaper by Rs 400 for Ujjwala beneficiaries. He also informed about the government’s decision to further reduce gas cylinder prices by Rs 100 with the onset of the upcoming festive season. “In the past few weeks, the prices of gas cylinders for Ujjwala beneficiaries have been reduced by Rs 500”, the Prime Minister said. Referring to the laying of gas pipelines in the state, the Prime Minister emphasized that the central government is making huge strides in the supply of cheaper cooking gas through pipelines. 

Throwing light on the scams during the previous governments, the Prime Minister emphasized that the funds meant for the poor were filling the coffers of the corrupt. He also suggested going online to check for the headlines from ten years ago which were filled with news about various scams that took place.  

Post-2014, the Prime Minister underlined that the present government carried out a ‘Swacchta’ campaign to weed out the corrupt practices. “11 crore fake beneficiaries who never existed were removed from the government lists with the use of technology”, the Prime Minister emphasized, “After 2014, Modi ensured that the funds meant for the poor are not looted by anyone.” He credited the creation of the trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile for the obliteration of the corrupt system that was in place. “Today, because of this Trishakti, more than Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been saved from falling into the wrong hands”, the Prime Minister reiterated. He also mentioned the Central Government is spending crores of rupees to provide Ujjwala cylinders for just Rs 500, Rs 3 lakh crore is being spent on providing free ration to crores of families, Rs 70,000 crores being spent for free treatment of about 5 crore families of the country under the Ayushman scheme, Rs 8 lakh crores to ensure that farmers get cheap urea, deposits of more than Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the bank accounts of small farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, and the expenditure of Rs 4 lakh crore to provide permanent houses to poor families. He also mentioned that poor families in Indore have received 1,000 permanent houses built with modern technology.

Underlining that it is a critical time for Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister pointed out that any hindrance in development will ruin the hard work of the last two decades. Directing his address to those under 25 years of age, the Prime Minister said that it is their responsibility to ensure that their children grow up to see a developed Madhya Pradesh in the coming 25 years. He informed that the present government has taken MP to the top in agricultural exports in the past years and also stressed the importance of the state being a leader in industrial development. Noting India's manifold increase in defence production exports over the years, the Prime Minister said that Jabalpur has a big contribution to this as he acknowledged the 4 factories manufacturing defence-related goods. He said that the central government is providing ‘Made in India’ weapons to its army and the demand for India's defence goods is also increasing in the world. “Madhya Pradesh is also going to benefit a lot from this, thousands of new employment opportunities are going to be created here,” he said.

“Today India's confidence is at a new height. From the playground to the fields and barns, the flag of India is flying” the Prime Minister said. He highlighted India's brilliant performance in the ongoing Asian Games and said that every youth of India feels that this time belongs to India. He underlined that when the youth get such opportunities, their passion for building a developed India also gets a boost. He gave examples of organizing a grand world event like the G-20, and the success of India's Chandrayaan and said that the mantra of being vocal for the local starts resonating far and wide with such successes. The Prime Minister informed that Khadi products worth more than Rs 1.5 crore were sold at a store in Delhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. “The feeling of Swadeshi, the feeling of taking the country forward is rising everywhere today”, Shri Modi emphasized. He also touched upon the role of India’s youth in achieving success in the world of startups. In the cleanliness campaign launched by the country on October 1, the Prime Minister informed that cleanliness programs were conducted at more than 9 lakh places with the participation of nearly 9 crore citizens. He credited the people of Madhya Pradesh for taking the state to the top in terms of cleanliness. 

The Prime Minister warned against the India-bashing approach of some political parties at a time when the country’s achievements are being discussed all over the world. He gave instances of the questions raised by such parties pertaining to the Digital India campaign and India’s Covid Vaccine. He also mentioned that such political parties believe the words of the country's enemies and go to the extent of questioning the Indian Army. He also touched upon the criticism of Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and the creation of Amrit Sarovars by these elements.

Shri Modi highlighted the role of India’s tribal society from independence to richness of cultural heritage and raised the question of neglecting them since independence by those who ruled for decades. He underlined that it was Atal ji's government that formed a separate ministry and allocated the budget for the welfare of tribal society. Shri Modi informed that the budget has been increased manifold in the last 9 years. He also touched upon India getting its first female tribal President, and the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda being celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. Shri Modi also highlighted the renaming of one of the most modern railway stations in the country after Rani Kamlapati, Patalpani station being renamed as Jannayak Tantyabhil, and today’s project of the grand monument being constructed in the name of Rani Durgavati ji which has been the inspiration of the Gond community. He informed that the museum will showcase Gond culture, history and art with an aim to create awareness about the rich Gond tradition. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned gifting Gond paintings to world leaders.

The Prime Minister reiterated that it is the present government, which has made the places associated with Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar across the world including Mhow, a Panchteerth. He also recalled performing the Bhoomi Pujan of the memorial site of Sant Ravidas ji in Sagar a few weeks ago. “This shows the commitment of the government towards social harmony and heritage” he added. 

He underlined that the parties which nurture nepotism and corruption have looted the resources of the tribal society. Before 2014, the Prime Minister informed that MSP was given only for 8-10 forest produce while the remaining ones were sold at throwaway prices, while today about 90 forest produce have been brought under the ambit of MSP.

In the past, the Prime Minister said, coarse grains such as Kodo-Kutki which are produced by tribal and small farmers were not given much importance. He highlighted the food preparations for G20 guests were made from your Kodo-Kutki. “The present government wants to deliver Kodo-Kutki to the markets of the country and abroad in the form of Shri Anna”, he added. 

“The double-engine government gives priority to the underprivileged”, the Prime Minister said. Highlighting the importance of clean drinking water supply for the health of the poor, the Prime Minister mentioned today’s projects where arrangements have been made to supply water to about 1600 villages. He also touched upon giving women their rights in Lok Sabha and Assembly through the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. The Prime Minister also touched upon PM Vishwakarma scheme worth Rs 13 thousand crores. 

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister assured the citizens of Modi’s guarantee to take Madhya Pradesh to the top spot in terms of development. “I am confident that Mahakaushal of Madhya Pradesh will strengthen this resolve of Modi and the government”, he concluded. 

Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mangubhai C. Patel, and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan were present on the occasion among others. 

Background

The 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati is being celebrated with great fervour by the Government of India. The announcement regarding the celebration was made by the Prime Minister, during his visit to Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh in July 2023. He reiterated this pronouncement during this year’s historic Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort.  In line with these celebrations, the Prime Minister performed bhoomi poojan of ‘Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan‘.

To be built at a cost of about Rs 100 crore in Jabalpur, the ‘Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan’ will be spread over an area of about 21 acres. It will showcase an impressive 52-foot-high bronze statue of Rani Durgavati.  It will have a magnificent museum highlighting the history of the Gondwana region including the valour and courage of Rani Durgavati. It will also highlight the cuisine, art, culture, way of living etc. of Gond people and other tribal communities. The premises of ‘Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan will also have multiple parks and gardens including a garden for medicinal plants, a Cactus garden and Rock garden among others. Rani Durgavati was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century. She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals.

The Prime Minister’s vision to provide ‘housing for all’ was strengthened with the inauguration of the Light House Project at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Built at a cost of about Rs 128 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban, the project will benefit more than 1000 beneficiary families. It employs innovative technology ‘Prefabricated Sandwich Panel System with Pre-engineered Steel Structural System’ to build quality homes with all basic facilities but in considerably reduced construction time.

In a step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision of providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections, the foundation stone of multiple Jal Jeevan Mission projects in Mandla, Jabalpur and Dindori districts worth over Rs 2350 crores were laid. The Prime Minister dedicated the Jal Jeevan Mission project in Seoni district worth over Rs 100 crore to the nation. These projects in four districts of the state will benefit about 1575 villages of Madhya Pradesh.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple projects worth more than Rs 4800 crore for improving the road infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of projects including the upgradation of road connecting Jharkheda- Berasia - Dholkhedi of NH 346; four laning of Balaghat - Gondia Section of NH 543; four Laning of Khandwa Bypass connecting Rudhi and Deshgaon; four Laning of Temagaon to Chicholi section of NH 47; four laning of road connecting Boregaon to Shahpur; and four laning of road connecting Shahpur to Muktainagar. The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation, the upgradation of the road connecting Khalghat to Sarwardewla of NH 347C.

The Prime Minister dedicated rail projects worth more than Rs 1850 crore to the nation. These include doubling the rail line connecting Katni - Vijaysota (102 km) and Marwasgram - Singrauli (78.50 km). Both these projects are part of the project for doubling the rail line connecting Katni - Singrauli Section. These projects will improve rail infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh benefiting the trade and tourism in the state. 

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation Vijaipur - Auraiyan- Phulpur Pipeline Project. The 352 km long pipeline has been built at a cost of more than Rs 1750 crore. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of Nagpur Jabalpur section (317 KMs) of Mumbai Nagpur Jharsuguda Pipeline Project. The project will be built at a cost of more than Rs 1100 crore. The gas pipeline projects will provide clean and affordable Natural Gas to industries and homes and will be a step towards reducing emissions in the environment. The Prime Minister also dedicated a new bottling plant at Jabalpur which has been built at a cost of about Rs 147 crore.

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