By Our Correspondent
BENGALURU/BHUBANESWAR: Amid presence of Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basvara Bommai, Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pralhad Joshi, Member of Parliament from Mandya, Smt Sumalatha Ambareesh and a Minister from Government of Karnataka, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated and laid the foundation stone of key development projects in Mandya, Karnataka on Sunday. The projects include the dedication of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to the nation and laying the foundation stone for the Mysuru-Kushalnagar 4-lane highway.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister began by paying obeisance to goddess Bhuvneshvari and the Gurus of Adichunchanagiri and Melukote. The Prime Minister expressed happiness in getting the opportunity to be present among the people of Karnataka in various parts of the state and thanked everyone for showering their blessings upon him. The Prime Minister especially remarked on the reception by the people of Mandya and said that their blessings are soaked in sweetness.
Highlighting the love and affection of the people of the state, the Prime Minister emphasized that the double-engine government strives to fulfill the demands of every citizen with fast-paced development. He highlighted that today’s infrastructure projects worth thousands of crores are a part of such efforts by the double-engine government towards the people of Karnataka.
Noting the national buzz around the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, the Prime Minister said that the youth of the country are feeling proud of such modern and high-quality expressways. He informed that this expressway has reduced the travel time between Mysuru and Bengaluru by half. He also highlighted laying the foundation stone for the Mysuru-Kushalnagar 4-lane highway and said that these projects will further the spirit of ‘Sabka Vikas’ and open the gates of prosperity. The Prime Minister congratulated the people of Karnataka for these projects.
The Prime Minister remembered two great personalities in the context of infrastructure development in India. “Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Sir M Visvesvaraya, the great sons of Karnataka, gave a new vision and strength to the country. These dignitaries turned calamity into opportunity and understood the importance of infrastructure and the current generation is fortunate to reap the benefits of their efforts”, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister underlined that the development of advanced infrastructure projects in the country is taking place while following in their footsteps. “Bharatmala and Sagarmala Yojna is transforming the landscape of India and Karnataka today”, the Prime Minister said. He underlined that the infrastructure budget in the country was increased manifold even when the entire world was struggling with the Corona pandemic. He informed that more than 10 lakh crores have been allocated for infrastructure development in the country in this year’s budget. Apart from ease, the Prime Minister continued, infrastructure brings along jobs, investment and earning opportunities. He informed that in Karnataka alone, the government has invested more than 1 lakh crore in highway-related projects in recent years.
Underlining the importance of Bengaluru and Mysuru as the key cities of Karnataka, the Prime Minister said connectivity between these two hubs of technology and tradition is important from many angles. He said that people often complained about heavy traffic while traveling between the two cities and informed that the Expressway will reduce the time between the two cities to one and a half hours and will give a fillip to the economic activity in the region.
Noting that the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway crosses through the heritage towns of Ramnagar and Mandya, the Prime Minister remarked that the potential for tourism will not only get a boost but accessibility to the birthplace of Maa Kaveri will also be made possible. The Prime Minister pointed out that the Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway which had always been affected by landslides during the monsoons impacting the port connectivity in the region will be addressed by the widening of the Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway. He said that the industries in the region will also start to flourish with the increased connectivity.
The Prime Minister criticized the callous approach of the previous governments and said that much of the money allocated for the development of the poor got pilfered. In 2014, he said, a sensitive government of the poor which understood the pain of the poor sections came into power. The Government worked continuously to serve the poor and ensured priority to housing, piped water, Ujjwala gas connection, electricity, roads, hospitals and reduction in medical treatment worries for the poor. He said that in the last 9 years, the Government ensured ease of living for the poor by going to their doorsteps and saturation is being achieved in a mission mode.
Dwelling on the Government’s approach of providing permanent solutions to the long-standing problems, the Prime Minister informed that more than 3 crore houses have been constructed in the last 9 years out of which lakhs of the houses were built in Karnataka and 40 Lakh new households got piped water under Jal Jeevan Mission. The Prime Minister underlined that 5,300 crores rupees have been allocated for the Upper Bhadra Project in this year’s Budget while the irrigation projects that were stuck for decades are also being completed at a fast pace. He highlighted that the irrigational issues faced by the people of this region will be solved with this. Apart from providing solutions to the small issues faced by the farmers of Karnataka, the Prime Minister informed that the government has directly transferred 12,000 crore rupees into the bank accounts of the farmers of Karnataka via PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna where more than 2.75 lakh farmers belonging to the Mandya region have been provided 600 crores by the central government alone. The Prime Minister praised the Karnataka Government for adding 4000 rupees to the 6000 rupees installment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. “In the double-engine government, Kisan is getting double benefits”, he said.
The Prime Minister said that uncertainties of crops led to long pending arrears of sugarcane farmers with the sugar mills. The Prime Minister said that introduction of ethanol will address the problem to a great extent. In the case of a bumper crop, excess sugarcane will produce ethanol which will ensure a steady income for the farmers. He informed that last year, the country’s sugar mills have sold ethanol worth 20 thousand crores to oil companies which have helped in timely payment to the sugarcane farmers. He added that since 2013-14 ethanol worth 70 thousand crores has been purchased from the sugar mills and that money has reached the farmers. In this year’s Budget too, he said, many provisions have been provided for the sugarcane farmers such as a 10 thousand crore rupees assistance for sugar cooperatives and a rebate in tax will benefit these farmers.
The Prime Minister remarked that India is a land of opportunities and people from across the world are showing their interest in the nation. He informed that India received record foreign investments in 2022 and Karnataka being the biggest beneficiary received investments of more than 4 lakh crores. “This record investment highlights the efforts of the double-engine government”, the Prime Minister remarked. Apart from IT, the Prime Minister said that industries such as biotechnology, defence manufacturing and EV manufacturing are expanding at a great pace while industries like aerospace and space are witnessing unprecedented investments.
While unprecedented developments are taking place with the efforts of the double-engine government, the Prime Minister pointed out the actions of some political parties who are busy dreaming of digging Modi’s grave while Modi is occupied by development works of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and making the lives of poor easier. He warned his detractors that the crores of mothers, sisters and daughters and the blessings of the people of India act as his protective shield. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister congratulated the people of Karnataka for today’s projects and said, “The double-engine government is imperative for the fast-paced development of Karnataka.”
