Modi announces Rs 20,000 crore electric locomotive plant in tribal-dominated Dahod in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that an electric locomotive manufacturing plant with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore would be set up in the tribal-dominated Dahod district of Gujarat.

Addressing a large gathering of tribals on the outskirts of Dahod town, he also rued that tribal freedom fighters like Birsa Munda and Govind Guru did not get the recognition they deserved post Independence.

“A steam locomotive workshop was established here before Independence. Now it (the area) will give a push to the Make in India initiative as railways will set up a Rs 20,000 crore electric locomotive manufacturing facility here,” Modi said. Dahod is one of the 100 cities which are part of the Smart Cities Mission of the Union government.

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Recalling the time before he entered active politics, the prime minister said he spent a significant amount of time in Dahod and witnessed how the entire railway workshop region, called Parel, became completely "lifeless" over a period of time.

"After becoming PM, I had a dream of pumping new life into this region and reviving it to its full glory one day. Today, my dream is being fulfilled. This factory, coming up with a huge investment of Rs 20,000 crore, will provide employment to thousands of local youths of this tribal region," he said.

Notably, Assembly elections are due in Gujarat, the prime minister's home state, later this year. Indian-made electric locomotives are in demand in foreign countries too, and India is one of the very few countries which has manufactured the 9,000-horsepower locomotives which are very powerful, the prime minister further said.

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“Dahod will play a major role in fulfilling the demand for electric locomotives the world over. Youths of this region would feel proud when they see Made in India locomotives during foreign visits," Modi said.

He inaugurated or performed a ground-breaking ceremony for projects worth over Rs 22,000 crore for Dahod and adjoining Panchmahal district on Wednesday. From the dais in Dahod, the PM launched projects related to water supply, various components under the Smart City initiative, affordable housing, Anganwadis and power sub-stations, among others.

Nearly six crore households in the country, including five lakhs in Gujarat, have been covered under the ambitious Nal Se Jal scheme to provide tapwater connection to every house, he told the audience. Remembering renowned tribal freedom fighters Birsa Munda and Govind Guru, the prime minister said they did not receive the fame they deserved.

"It is our country's misfortune that the real freedom-fighters did not get their due place in history books even after seven decades (of Independence). How can we forget Bhagwan Birsa Munda, who had fought against the British?" Modi said. A grand memorial of Birsa Munda has now been built at Ranchi in Jharkhand, he noted. The tribals of Dahod took an active part in the 1857 rebellion, and a Jallianwala Bagh-like massacre took place in Dahod during the freedom struggle, the prime minister noted.

The Gujarat government has built a memorial of local freedom fighter Govind Guru at Mangadh in Dahod district, he said. "I urge local teachers and students to stage plays and recite poems about these incidents in your schools so that people, as well as our next generations, know about these sacrifices," Modi said.

While only 18 tribal research institutes were set up in 70 years after Independence, the Union government under his leadership set up nine new institutes in just seven years, he said. He also urged locals to construct 75 lakes in the district to store rainwater and also as part of the celebration of 75 years of Independence.

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