Assam’s rapid 13% growth positions it as development leader: PM Modi

Guwahati, Sept 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, declared that Assam is advancing at an impressive growth rate of 13%, positioning itself among the fastest-developing states in the country.

Speaking at a foundation stones-laying ceremony in Darrang, the Prime Minister said Assam had once struggled under the weight of underdevelopment but is now on the path of rapid progress.

“Assam has become one of the fastest developing states in the nation. There was a time when Assam was struggling in the name of development. But now it is moving forward with 13% growth rate. This is a huge achievement,” Modi told a massive crowd, attributing the success to the “hard work of the people of Assam and the double-engine government of BJP.”

The Prime Minister said the state’s development journey has been possible because of the partnership between people and government.

“I am happy that the people of Assam are helping in this partnership, which is why Himanta (Chief Minister) and his team are getting support every time,” Modi said, adding that the BJP’s goal was to make Assam the “growth engine for the development of the nation.”

Modi promised that the "double-engine" government would transform Assam into both a top healthcare hub and one of India’s most well-connected states.

During the event, Modi laid the foundation stones for health and infrastructure projects worth Rs 6,300 crore in Darrang district.

Modi laid the foundation for a series of major infrastructure and healthcare projects in Assam, including the Darrang Medical College and Hospital along with an attached nursing college and GNM school, representing a combined investment of Rs 570 crore.

He also inaugurated the construction of the 2.9 km-long Narengi–Kuruwa bridge over the Brahmaputra, estimated at Rs 1,200 crore, and approved the 118.5 km-long Guwahati Ring Road project, which will connect Kamrup, Darrang, and Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya, with a projected cost of Rs 4,530 crore.

These projects, he said, would significantly strengthen connectivity and healthcare access in the state.

In his speech, the Prime Minister also revisited the centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika, held in Guwahati on Saturday, and launched a sharp attack on the Congress.

Modi alleged that when the government decided to confer the Bharat Ratna on Hazarika, a Congress president had mocked the decision, saying, “Modi is giving Bharat Ratna to those who sing and dance.”

“Yesterday, the Chief Minister showed me the video. This abuse has hurt me a lot,” Modi said, adding, “I don’t care when people abuse me. I am a devotee of Lord Shiv, I can take in all the poison. But if someone else is abused so shamelessly, I cannot take it," Modi remarked. 

Later in the afternoon, PM Modi will travel to Numaligarh in the Golaghat district. There, he will inaugurate India's first bio-ethanol plant, a clean energy initiative aimed at promoting sustainable fuel production.