PM Modi unveils over Rs 4850-crore projects in Silvassa, says 'vote bank politics' influenced decisions for several decades

Silvassa (Dadra and Nagar Haveli) [India], April 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted the Congress-led governments and said development in the country was weighed on the scale of "vote bank politics" for several decades.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Silvassa on Tuesday and unveiled several development projects worth over Rs 4850 crore.

"Now our Silvassa is not the same as before, it has now become cosmopolitan. There will not be any corner of India whose people do not live in Silvassa. Today again I have got the opportunity to unveil new projects worth about Rs 5000 crore... You had given me the opportunity to lay the foundation stone of many of the projects that were inaugurated today," he said.

He said the new industrial policy is increasing industrial development and creating jobs here.

For quality infrastructure, schools, and water supply, the Centre has spent more than Rs 5,500 crore in the last five years, the Prime Minister added.

"It has been the misfortune of the country that for several decades development was weighed on the scale of vote bank politics. Projects were announced on the basis of how many votes would be received and from where. Those who did not have access and whose voice was weak remained deprived and left behind in the journey of development. This is the reason why our tribal and border areas were deprived of development," he said.

PM Modi said Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu did not have a single medical college even after decades of independence and only a few youth got the opportunity for medical study and that too at other places.

"Decades have passed since independence but not a single medical college was built in Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli... Those who ruled the country for decades never bothered about the injustice being done to the youth here. They understood that they would not gain anything by developing this small Union Territory," PM Modi said.

"In the last nine years, we have introduced new work culture in the country. We ensure the completion of the work which we started," he said.

PM Modi said that Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has worked with full commitment in the past eight years and the region got its first NAMO medical college. Every year, around 150 local youths will get the opportunity for medical study. In the future, around 1,000 doctors will come from this region, he said.

"Education in the English language works as a barrier for the children of STs. It deprives many of becoming doctors and engineers. Our government has provided a solution to this issue. Now, the children will have the option to study in their regional language. It will help students fulfil their dreams," PM Modi said.

Earlier, PM Modi interacted with construction workers who were engaged in the construction of the NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute here.

The Medical Education and Research Institute is expected to transform healthcare services in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The state-of-the-art medical college includes the latest research centres, a 24x7 central library equipped with access to national and international journals, specialised medical staff, medical labs, smart lecture halls, research labs, an anatomy museum, a clubhouse, sports facilities as well as residences for students and faculty members.

Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated 96 projects worth more than Rs 4,850 crores to the nation at Sayli ground, Silvassa. People lit mobile flashlights to welcome PM Modi in Silvassa.

The projects include government schools at Morkhal, Kherdi, Sindoni and Masat of Dadra and Nagar Haveli District; beautification, strengthening and widening of various roads in Dadra and Nagar Haveli district; government schools at Ambawadi, Pariyari, Damanwada, Khariwad and Government Engineering College, Daman; fish market and shopping complex at Moti Daman and N Daman and augmentation of water supply scheme in N Daman, among others.

Prime Minister handed over house keys to some of the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) at a function in Silvassa.

He inaugurated Devka Seafront in Daman. The 5.45 km Seafront built at a cost of around Rs 165 crore is one of its kind coastal promenade in the country. The Seafront is expected to boost the local economy and attract more tourists to the region, making it a hub for leisure and recreation activities, said the PMO statement.

The Seafront has been transformed into a world-class tourist destination.

It includes smart lighting, parking facilities, gardens, food stalls, recreational areas and provision for luxury tent cities in future.