PM Modi chants development mantra in Uttarakhand ahead of Assembly polls

Modi told people of Uttarakhand that this is the right time to think of where the state will be heading

Ahead of elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chanted the development mantra in Uttarakhand, by inaugurating a PSA oxygen plant at AIIMS, Rishikesh and highlighting the building of highways and supply of piped drinking water to remote households in the hill state.

On a visit to poll-bound Uttarakhand, Modi, during the inauguration of the pressurised swing adsorption oxygen plant at AIIMS in Rishikesh, said that all districts in the country now have such plants that have been sanctioned by the PM-CARES Fund.

“Over the past few months, 1,150 oxygen plants sanctioned by the PM-CARES Fund have become functional. Each district of the country is now covered by oxygen plants built under PM-CARES. In addition to this, through the efforts of the central and state governments, the country will get nearly 4,000 oxygen plants,” Modi said.

With an eye on the upcoming elections in Uttarakhand, Modi cited initiatives such as the implementation of one rank, one pension for ex-servicemen, development of highways for tourism, building a war memorial and supply of piped drinking water to more than seven lakh households in the hill-state as achievements of his government.

The Prime Minister also had special praise for “energetic” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the son of an ex-serviceman, who took over the reins of the state in July.

Modi's endorsement of the young chief minister was seen as a signal to the faction-ridden state unit of the BJP against destabilising the government ahead of the elections early next year. BJP had to change two chief ministers in a short span of time in the hill state.

The Prime Minister asked the people of Uttarakhand to think of where the state will be heading when it completes 25 years of its existence in 2025. Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

“Yahi samay hai, sahi samay hai (This is the time, this is the right time),” he said, adding that the shared efforts of the Centre and the state government were a big basis for realising the dreams of people.

Read | Modi inaugurates 35 PSA oxygen plants established under PM CARES fund

"Yahi samay hai, sahi samay hai (This is the time, this is the right time)," he said, adding that the shared efforts of the Centre and the state government are a big basis for realising the dreams of people and cited a number of development measures undertaken in Uttarakhand, which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

The state will face assembly polls early next year along with four other states.

Patting Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's back twice during the event, Modi addressed him as "my friend" and described him as an enthusiastic CM.

He said Dhami, who is the son of a soldier, told him that people of Uttarakhand have benefited from the implementation of 'one rank, one pension scheme'.

The ruling BJP will face the challenge from the opposition Congress in its bid to retain power. The party had recently changed two chief ministers in the state in a short span of time.

Modi cited a number of measures taken by the government, including one rank one pension for veterans, creation of a war memorial and infrastructure boost across the state, which has a sizable number of households having members serving or retired from the military.

In just two years, over six lakh houses in the state have got piped water connections, he said, noting that only 1.3 lakh households had the supply in 2019 while now 7,10,000 houses of Uttarakhand are getting piped water.

He also highlighted the efforts made by the government to boost health infrastructure ranging from production of masks and protective kits to development of a vaccine and its roll out across the country, and asserted that their development in such a short span of time shows India's capabilities.

It now has over 3,000 testing labs from only one when the pandemic struck the country, he added.

As the demand for medical oxygen increased, India increased the production of medical oxygen by more than 10 times, Modi said.

With the new plants, over 1,150 oxygen plans funded by PM CARES are working and every district in the country has now been covered by them, he said.

The prime minister said it will be a matter of pride for every citizen that over 93 crore Covid vaccine doses have been administered so far and the figure will soon cross 100 crore.

India is now carrying out the world's largest and fastest vaccination campaign, he noted.

The government, he said, now goes to citizens and does not wait for them to approach it with their problems.

As he completed 20 years as the head of a government, including 13 years as Gujarat chief minister between 2001 and 2014, on Thursday, Modi also recalled his old association with the state known for its religious and spiritual heritage, and said his relation with its land is not only of the heart but also of action.

Noting that the state was created by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, Modi said the former prime minister believed that connectivity is directly related to development.

Due to his inspiration, work is being done now for improving connectivity infrastructure in the country at an unprecedented speed and scale, he said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Dhami also spoke on the occasion.