Prime Minister Narendra Modi today remarked that Meghalaya is a State that is prosperous in nature and culture and this very prosperity is reflected through the warmth and welcoming nature of the people.
He congratulated the citizens of Meghalaya for the numerous upcoming and newly inaugurated projects ranging from connectivity, education, skill and employment for further development in the state.
The Prime Minister drew everyone’s attention to the coincidence that the public function of today is taking place on a football field at the time when the football World Cup is going on.
“On the one hand, there is football competition going on, while here we are leading the competition of development in the football field. Even though the football World Cup is taking place in Qatar, the enthusiasm of the people here is no less,” he remarked.
Drawing an analogy to the red card shown in football to a person who goes against the sportsman spirit, the Prime Minister remarked that the government has shown the red card to all the obstacles that come in the way of the development of North East.
“Be it corruption, discrimination, nepotism, violence or vote-bank politics to disrupt the development in the region, we are working with dedication and honesty to uproot all these evils,” he remarked.
The Prime Minister pointed out that even though such evils are deeply rooted, we have to work towards eliminating each one of them. He further added that the efforts of the government are showing positive results.
Throwing light on the emphasis on sports development, the Prime Minister highlighted that the central government is moving forward with a new approach and its benefits can be clearly seen in the North Eastern regions as well.
He informed that apart from India’s first sports university, the North Eastern region is well equipped with multiple infrastructures like multipurpose hall, football field and athletics track. He further added that work is underway on ninety such projects.
The Prime Minister said with assurance that even though we are looking at the international teams playing in the football World Cup in Qatar, he firmly believes in the power of the youth and remarked that the day is not far when India will organise such a similar celebration and every Indian will also cheer for our team that will take part in it.
“Development is not limited to budget, tenders, laying foundation stones and inaugurations,” the Prime Minister continued as he stated that such was the norm even before 2014.
“The transformation that we witness today is a result of the change in our intentions, resolutions, priorities and our work culture. The results can be seen in our processes,” he said.
Modi elaborated, “The resolution is to build a developed India with modern infrastructure, modern connectivity. The intention is to connect every region and section of India with the objective of rapid development through Sabka Prayas (everyone’s efforts). The priority is to remove deprivation, reduce distances, engage in capacity building, and give more opportunities to the youth. And the change in work culture signifies that every project and programme be completed within the time limit.”