Vanakkam!

Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi ji, my cabinet colleagues Kinjarapu Ramamohan Naidu ji, Dr. L. Murugan ji, Tamil Nadu Ministers Thangam Tennarasu ji, Dr. T.R.B. Raja ji, P. Geetha Jeevan ji, Anitha R. Radhakrishnan ji, MP Kanimozhi ji, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party President and our MLA Nayanar Nagendran ji, and my brothers and sisters from Tamil Nadu! 

Today is Kargil Vijay Diwas. First of all, I salute the heroes of Kargil and pay tribute to the martyrs.

Friends, 

It is my good fortune that after a four-day stay abroad, I got the opportunity to come directly to this holy land of Lord Rameshwar. During my stay abroad, a historic free trade agreement was signed between India and England. This is a symbol of the world's growing trust in India and India's new self-confidence. With this self-confidence, we will build a developed India, a developed Tamil Nadu. Even today, with the blessings of Lord Rameswaram and Lord Tiruchendur Murugan, a new chapter of development is being written in Thoothukudi. Thoothukudi is continuously witnessing the mission that was started in 2014 to take Tamil Nadu to the pinnacle of development.

Friends, 

In February last year, I laid the foundation stone of the ‘Outer Harbor Container Terminal’ for ‘V.O. Chidambaranar Port’ here. At that time, projects worth hundreds of crores of rupees were also inaugurated. In September, I inaugurated the new Thoothukudi International Container Terminal. Today once again, projects worth forty-eight hundred crore rupees have been inaugurated and foundation stones have been laid. These include projects for airport, highways, ports and railways, and also important initiatives related to the power sector. I congratulate all of you, the people of Tamil Nadu for this.

Friends, 

Infrastructure and energy are the backbone of the development of any state. Our focus on infrastructure and energy in these 11 years shows how big a priority the development of Tamil Nadu is for us. All of today's projects will also make Thoothukudi and Tamil Nadu a hub of connectivity, clean energy and new opportunities.

Friends, 

The land of Tamil Nadu and Thoothukudi and its people have contributed to a prosperous and strong India for centuries. This is the land where visionaries like V.O. Chidambaram Pillai was born. He understood the power of trade through the sea even during the times of slavery. He challenged the British by running indigenous ships in the sea. On this very land, great men like Veera-Pandiya Katta-Bomman and Alagu-Muthu Kon weaved the dream of an independent and strong India. National poet like Subramaniam Bharati was also born nearby. You all know, Subramaniam Bharati ji had a strong bond with Thoothukudi and he has an equally strong bond with my parliamentary constituency Kashi. We are constantly strengthening our cultural heritage through events like Kashi-Tamil Sangamam.

Friends, 

I remember, only last year I had gifted the famous pearls of Thoothukudi to Bill Gates. He liked those pearls very much. The Pandya Pearls here were once a symbol of India's economic power throughout the world.

Friends, 

Today, with our efforts, we are taking forward the vision of a developed Tamil Nadu and a developed India. A free trade agreement has been signed between Britain and India. FTA also gives impetus to this vision. Today, the world is seeing its growth in India's growth. This agreement will also give new strength to India's economy. This will further accelerate our pace of becoming the third largest economy in the world.

Friends, 

After this FTA agreement, there will be no tax on 99% of Indian products sold in Britain. If Indian products become cheaper in Britain, the demand will increase there and there will be more opportunities for manufacturing those products here in India.

Friends, 

The youth of Tamil Nadu, our small industries, MSMEs and startups will benefit the most from the India-Britain FTA. Whether it is the industry, our fisherman brothers and sisters or research and innovation, it is beneficial for everyone.

Friends, 

Today, the Government of India is putting a lot of emphasis on Make in India and Mission Manufacturing. You all have just seen the power of Make in India during Operation Sindoor. Made in India weapons have played a big role in destroying the hideouts of terror. Weapons made in India are still giving sleepless nights to the masters of terror.

Friends, 

To fully utilize the potential of Tamil Nadu, the Government of India is making efforts to modernize the infrastructure of Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, we are making the port infrastructure hi-tech. Besides this, airports, highways and railways are also being integrated with each other. The inauguration of the new advanced terminal of Thoothukudi Airport today is another big step in this direction. Built at a cost of Rs 450 crore, this terminal will now host more than 20 lakh passengers every year. Earlier its annual capacity was only 3 lakhs passengers.

Friends, 

The new terminal will increase Thoothukudi connectivity to many more routes in the country. Corporate travel, education hubs, health infrastructure in Tamil Nadu will benefit more from this. Along with this, the tourism potential of this area will also get new energy.

Friends, 

Today we have also dedicated two major road projects of Tamil Nadu to the people. These roads, built at a cost of approximately Rs 2,500 crore, are going to connect two major development areas of Chennai. Due to these roads, connectivity of Chennai with the delta districts has further improved.

Friends, 

With the help of these projects, the connectivity of Thoothukudi Port has also improved a lot. These roads will also enhance the ease of living for the entire region and open new avenues of trade and employment.

Friends, 

Our government considers the country's railways as the lifeline of industrial growth and self-reliant India. That is why, in the last eleven years, the country's railway infrastructure has seen a new phase of modernization. Tamil Nadu is a major center of the modernization campaign of railway infrastructure. Our government is redeveloping 77 stations in Tamil Nadu under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The people of Tamil Nadu are getting a new experience through modern Vande Bharat trains. The country's first and unique vertical lift rail bridge, Pamban Bridge, is also built in Tamil Nadu. Pamban Bridge has increased both Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Travel.

Friends, 

Today, a mega campaign is going on in the country to develop mega and modern infrastructure. The Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, inaugurated a few days ago, is an engineering marvel. This bridge has connected Jammu to Srinagar through railway for the first time. Apart from this, the country's longest sea bridge Atal Setu has been built, Bogibeel Bridge has been built in Assam, more than 6 km long Sonamarg tunnel has been built, the Government of India, the NDA government has completed many such projects. All these have generated employment in thousands.

Friends, 

Even today, the railway projects we have dedicated in Tamil Nadu will benefit millions of people in South Tamil Nadu. The electrification of the line from Madurai to Bodi-Nayakkanur has now opened the way for running trains like Vande Bharat. These railway projects are going to give a new impetus to both the speed of Tamil Nadu and its development scale.

Friends, 

Today, the foundation stone of the transmission project related to the 2000 MW Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project has also been laid here. This system, which will be built at a cost of about Rs 550 crore, is going to play a big role in providing clean energy to the country in the coming years. This energy project will serve as a means to meet India's global energy targets and environmental commitments. When electricity production increases, Tamil Nadu's industry and domestic users will also benefit greatly from it.

Friends, 

I am happy that the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme is also running at a fast pace in Tamil Nadu. So far, the government has received about 1 lakh applications and 40000 solar rooftop installations have been completed. This scheme is not only providing free and clean electricity but is also creating thousands of green jobs.

Friends, 

The development of Tamil Nadu, the dream of a developed Tamil Nadu is our core commitment. We have consistently given priority to policies related to the development of Tamil Nadu. In the last decade, the central government has sent three lakh crore rupees to Tamil Nadu through devolution. This amount is more than three times the amount sent by the previous UPA government. In these eleven years, Tamil Nadu has got eleven new medical colleges. For the first time, any government has shown so much concern towards the communities associated with the fisheries sector in coastal areas. We are expanding the coastal economy through the Blue Revolution.

Friends, 

Today, this land of Thoothukudi is witnessing a new chapter of development. All these projects of connectivity, power transmission, infrastructure are going to create a strong foundation for developed Tamil Nadu and developed India. I once again congratulate all my family members of Tamil Nadu for all these projects. Thank you very much. I have one more request, today I am seeing that you all are very enthusiastic, do one thing, take out your mobile phone and enhance the glory of this new airport with the flash light of your mobile phone.

Bharat Mata ki Jai.

 Bharat Mata ki Jai. 

Bharat Mata ki Jai. 

Thank you very much. 

Vanakkam ।

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

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MJPS/VJ/SS