Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation development projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore in Motihari, Bihar.
Modi remarked that the 21st century is witnessing rapid global progress, noting that the dominance once held solely by Western nations is now increasingly shared by Eastern countries, whose participation and influence are growing.
He emphasized that Eastern nations are now gaining new momentum in development. Drawing a parallel, the Prime Minister stated that just as Eastern countries are advancing globally, in India, it is the era of the eastern states.
“The government’s resolve to ensure that, in the coming times, Motihari in the East becomes as prominent as Mumbai in the West,” he said.
He envisioned equal opportunities in Gaya as in Gurugram, industrial growth in Patna akin to Pune, and development in Santhal Pargana comparable to Surat.
“To advance Eastern India, Bihar must be transformed into a developed state”, emphasised Modi, stating that rapid progress in Bihar is possible today because both the Centre and the State have governments committed to Bihar’s development.
Underscoring the importance of today’s generation in understanding the despair Bihar faced two decades ago, Modi stated that under the rule of previous governments, development was stalled and it was nearly impossible for funds meant for the poor to reach them.
He criticized the then leadership for being focused solely on looting money meant for the poor.
Modi also highlighted that over the past 11 years, more than 4 crore houses have been built under the PM Awas Yojana across the country, with nearly 60 lakh constructed in Bihar alone. He noted that this figure surpasses the total population of countries like Norway, New Zealand, and Singapore.
“In Motihari district alone, around 3 lakh families have received pucca houses, and the count continues to grow rapidly. Over 12,000 families in the region have received the keys to their new homes today”, Modi said.
Additionally, more than 40,000 poor families have received funds in their bank accounts to build pucca houses, with the majority belonging to Dalit, Mahadalit, and backward communities.
Meanwhile, he dedicated to the nation multiple rail projects, including automatic signalling between Samastipur-Bachhwara rail line that will enable efficient train operations in this section. Doubling of Darbhanga-Thalwara and Samastipur-Rambhadrapur rail line part of Darbhanga-Samastipur doubling project worth over Rs 580 crore that will enhance the capacity of train operations and reduce delays.
