New Delhi, Jan 28: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said the country’s progress got momentum from a few cities and regions after Independence, but special emphasis is now being given to the rapid development of eastern and northeastern India.
Addressing a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, Murmu also referred to the arrival of a Rajdhani Express train for the first time in the Mizoram capital, Aizawl, and the enthusiasm shown by the local people that “brought joy to the entire nation”.
“After Independence, the progress of India got momentum from a few cities and regions. A large part of India and a significant portion of the population did not have access to adequate opportunities. Today, my government is transforming the potential of underdeveloped regions and marginalised populations into the driving force for Viksit Bharat,” she said.
The President said special emphasis is now being given to the ‘Purvodaya’, a vision for the rapid development of Eastern India. Now, new avenues of progress are emerging in the maritime regions of West Bengal and Odisha, she underlined.
Now, the North Eastern region is also integrating with the mainstream of development, Murmu said.
“Assam, in the northeastern region, is the land of great icons like Srimanta Sankardev. Soon, a semiconductor chip manufactured in Assam will become a lifeline for electronic products worldwide. Unprecedented attention is also being given to improving connectivity in this region,” she said.
Murmu said that in the past 11 years, more than 7,200 kilometres of national highways have been built in the northeastern region, making connectivity to remote, hilly, tribal, and border areas easier.
She said that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, approximately 50,000 kilometres of rural roads have been built and it has improved access to markets, hospitals, and schools.
“More than Rs 80,000 crore have been invested for the development of railways in the northeastern region during the last 11 years. The capitals of Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Mizoram have now been connected through broad-gauge rail lines,” she said.
This has opened new opportunities for economic progress, employment, and the tourism industry in these areas, the President said.
“This decade has also been a decade of initiatives for ensuring health facilities in the northeast. The establishment of the State Cancer Institute in Itanagar and the medical college at Sivasagar in Assam will help provide treatment to crores of families,” she said.
Similarly, the establishment of a medical college in Sikkim’s Sichey and a hospital for women and children in Agartala will greatly enhance healthcare facilities, Murmu said, adding that such efforts are creating a robust health infrastructure in the northeastern region. (PTI)
