Our approach is “Isolation to Integration”: PM Modi

Published By : Admin | May 19, 2018 | 20:01 IST
QuotePM Modi lays foundation stone and inaugurates multiple development projects in Jammu
QuoteGovernment is working to ensure development of regions which remained isolated for long time: PM Modi
QuoteOur approach is “Isolation to Integration”: PM Modi
QuoteGovernment’s focus is on Highway, Railways, Waterways, i-Ways and Roadways: PM Modi

My dear brothers and sisters,

There are a lot of old faces here. Our Chamanlal Ji is here. It is a very important day today for Jammu & Kashmir. This is my fourth public programme in the state. Since morning, I have been witnessing a flow of development from the high mountains of Leh-Laddakh to the valley of Kashmir and now at the foothills of Jammu. And because of these programmes I got late and could not arrive here in time. I seek your forgiveness for this.

Be it is the Zojila Tunnel that connects the rest of India with Leh or Kishan Ganga project in Bandipora or the Hydro Power Project that is coming up on Chinab river in Kishtwar region. All this open up a new door for the happiness for Jammu & Kashmir. The rivers flowing through the state are going to give momentum to the development of this region. Dedicating one hydro power project to the nation and laying foundation for another, this has made today a very unique and memorable day.

Just a while ago, I got the opportunity to dedicate or lay the foundation for 4 big infrastructure related projects for Jammu. Two of them are dedicated to the Divine Mother Vaishno Devi. The foundation stone for Pakal Dul project has been laid here just a while ago. You can understand that how beneficial it is going to be for the state from the fact that it is going to produce equivalent to one third of the electricity which is now being produced in the state in a day,

This project has been constructed under the Prime Minister’s Development Programme. This one thousand megawatt capacity project is ready for launch. This scheme with the investment of Rs. 8,000 crore is going to create several opportunities for employment at this place. It will provide direct employment to nearly 2,500 people. In addition, there will be vegetable producers, there will be milk suppliers here; it is going to give a new opportunity for generating income to the people who do any kind of work.

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Friends, our government has been working with a new approach towards the development of the country and this approach is: from isolation to integration. It means those areas of the country which were isolated some reason, where the light of development had not reached so far, now priority is being given to those areas. And this is the reason, be it North-East or Jammu & Kashmir I will try to be there myself. I don’t know whether any Prime Minister has got such opportunity earlier or not, but, perhaps, I have come to Jammu & Kashmir for more than a dozen times as a Prime Minister in addition to political visits. It’s true that you took care of me during the earlier days. In a way you have raised me. We have been working on the formula of: development through connectivity. Be it connectivity through roads or be it connecting the hearts, no stone is being left unturned at any level. Every such step is being taken for the development of Jammu & Kashmir which has the strength of converting this state in to a rising star of a New India. Let’s imagine the map of India when the crown jewel of India will shine like a crown made of diamonds and this sparkle will show the path of development to rest of the country.

Brothers and sisters, central government has been working along with the state government to accomplish this task and we have been taking forward the schemes and implementing them on the ground. Only a while ago, the foundation stone for the ring road was laid and this would solve the problem of traffic jams of the city of Jammu as well as of this place. The effort will be made to complete the project in the next three years. When this ring road will be ready it will bring in a. lot of facilities to all of you, the inhabitants of Jammu and also to millions of tourists who come here. And you will see, this 50 kilometers long ring road will develop a new Jammu. A new Jammu on the either sides of this road. I can see it very clearly what kind of development, what kind of expansion will be there. It will certainly reduce the traffic jam within and nearby areas of Jammu city, not only this, the ring road will also make it very easy to transport the heavy machinery through military vehicles in strategic and border areas of Punchch, Rajouri, Naushera and Akhnoor.

Friends, your city Jammu has been selected under the Smart City Mission. Smart systems have been developed here regarding traffic to sewage management. The state government has been engaged in this work. The fund for this work has already been approved by the central government.

Brothers and sisters, for development, our entire focus is on infrastructure – be it highways or railways or waterways or i-ways or roadways, all these are compulsory things for the 21stcentury.

The government’s thinking is very clear that if we need to raise the standard of living of 1.25 billion countrymen then we will have to first make it easy and convenient for them. In other words, you can call them - smart systems. And it is the outcome of this thinking that a network of highways have been developed at a rapid pace across country under the Bharat Mala project.

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Be it Jammu & Kashmir or Western India or North East, this is the project to connect the country with a network of highways. In this year’s budget, more than Rs. 5,000 crore has been allocated for construction of 35,000 kilometers long road under this project. More than Rs. 2,700 crores will be spent in Jammu & Kashmir under this project.

Brothers and sisters, the work on several highway projects has been going on in Jammu & Kashmir too. Several schemes worth thousands of crores of rupees for connecting Jammu to Srinagar and other parts of the country have already been completed. And the work has been taking place at a fast speed on some other schemes. Today, the work is going on several highway projects like Jammu-Punch, Udhampur-Ramban, Ramban-Banihal, Srinagar-Banihal and Kazigund-Banihal, and these projects are going to be proved lifeline for this region. Nearly, Rs. 15,000crore will be spent on these roads. In addition to this, the villages have been connected under the Prime Minister Rural Road Scheme. In the last two years, nearly one lakh kilometers long rural roads have been constructed under this scheme. In the last two years, more than 3,500 kilometers long rural roads have been constructed in the villages of Jammu & Kashmir.

Friends, tourism is a big source of revenue for Jammu & Kashmir, particularly those places which are related to religious faith be it Baba Barfani (Lord Shiva) or Darbar of Mata Rani (Divine Mother Vaishno Devi), millions of tourists come to visit these shrines. The government has been making several efforts so that the pilgrims full of devotion should get the facilities and also the employment opportunities are generated for local people.

Today, the train service has reached the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra. I had got the opportunity to publicly dedicate this rail route immediately after becoming the Prime Minister. This rail route has provided a lot of convenience to the devotees of mother goddess. We don’t want to stop at this only and this is the reason that two big projects have been inaugurated today. The first one is another route for visiting the shrine of mother goddess and the other one is for supplying goods to the shrine of the mother goddess through a ropeway.

Friends, now the devotees can reach to the shrine of divine mother Vaishno Devi through Tarakota route. This is an optional route for devotees who walk on feet between Katra and Ardh Kunwari. This will also provide them freedom from crowd. And I have been told that this route will also be connected through a one and a half kilometers long link road to the existing pedestrian’s path. So that the devotees can use either of the pedestrian’s path to reach up to the temple. This is completely safe and secure path for the devotees of the mother goddess where every arrangements have been made to provide them every facility.

Friends, in addition to this alternative route, today, I also got the good opportunity to inaugurate a material ropeway leading up to the doors of the abode of the mother goddess. Carriage of goods will become much more easier because of this material ropeway. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board will be able to make arrangements for providing food facilities to devotees with ease by utilising these unique facilities. This ropeway is also going to provide a great help in disposal of waste material around the temple. The goods will be supplied from Katra to the temple and the waste material will be brought back in the return journey.

Friends, this kind of facility is also being developed for the devotees on the lines of material ropeway. Bhairon Ghati Bhawan, which is being built at the cost of Rs. 60 crore, is going to be completed very soon. This ropeway will have the capacity to ferry 800 people per hour. It is going to be extremely helpful for old and physically handicapped devotees. When this ropeway will become fully functional then it will carry 40-45 people within three minutes. This ropeway system will have an automated ticketing system on the lines of Delhi Metro. I congratulate Mr. Chairman and his entire team for the way the Shrine Board has been working to provide more facilities to the devotees.

Brothers and sisters, infrastructure development in Jammu & Kashmir will lead to tourism and tourism will lead to employment generation. However, education and skill development play an important role in employment. Central government has approved setting up of big institutions in the field of education in the state. Whether it is IIM or IIT that are going to be constructed in Jammu, these institutions are going to become a milestone in the development of the state. In addition to this, the scholarships have been provided to the students of Jammu & Kashmir for completing their education in the reputed universities and colleges of the country.

Brothers and sisters, women empowerment has been a priority for the government. Several schemes for providing financial and social power to women have been launched in the last four years. Nearly 9.5 crore women entrepreneurs of the country have obtained loans for their small businesses without any bank guarantee. More than 50 lakh women of state of Jammu & Kashmir are among them. On the other hand, the government has been working towards providing smoke free kitchen to poor mothers and sisters of the country under the Ujjwala scheme. Clean cooking – this scheme has been proving to be specially beneficial to mothers and sisters from the villages, be it Dalits, oppressed or backwards it has been beneficial to all the mothers and sisters belonging to all these communities. While more than 4 crore LPG connections have been provided free of cost in the country, the Ujjwala scheme has reached the kitchen of more than 4 lakh mothers and sisters in Jammu & Kashmir.

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Friends, under the Clean India Mission, a movement to rid the country of open defecation has been launched. This is not just related to cleanliness but it is also an issue of honour of women. The country and the world have seen how much aware the mothers and sisters of Jammu & Kashmir have been about this movement. I myself saw an 87 year old lady constructing a toilet in Udhampur. She did not take anybody’s help, there was just one passion to join this cleanliness mission.

Friends, when this kind of efforts are made then the courage and conviction increase by several times. At some place, five year old girls are joining in this movement and somewhere else 87 year old mother is joining this movement. The depth of the feeling towards cleanliness and dignity can be gauged from this fact only. And this is the reason that the coverage of rural cleanliness has gone beyond 80 per cent. Under this scheme, toilets in more than 8.5 lakh houses have been constructed in Jammu & Kashmir too.

Friends, financial and social empowerment of women will be incomplete till the time attention is not paid to their skill development. This is the reason that several efforts have been made for the development of skills of women of Jammu & Kashmir. Nearly 5,000women have been provided training for the trade related to handicrafts, tailoring and agriculture.

Brothers and sisters, when I came here two years ago then I had made an appeal to the youth of this place, to all of you to take maximum advantage of the schemes run by the government. Today, I am happy to inform that the youth of this place had taken maximum advantage of these schemes. More than 20 lakh people have opened their bank accounts in the state under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan scheme. And nearly 8,00 crore rupees have been deposited in these accounts; I am only talking about Jammu &Kashmir. More than 40 thousand of my brother and sister workers of the state working in the un-organised sector have joined in the Atal Pension scheme which was formulated for them. More than 9 lakh people of the state have joined those two schemes with low premium which are being run by the government. And a claim amount of nearly Rs. 3 crore has already been disbursed under these schemes.

Friends, the youth of this area has always been ahead in joining in the armed forces. As per the tradition, a lot of avenues have been provided to the youth of the state to join in the armed forces. More than 20,000 people have been recruited in the army, central armed forces, police forces and India Reserve Battalions under the special recruitment drives.

Friends, this is the land of Dogras, this is the land of braves. This place has both valour and patience, it also has sweet music as well. While it has fragrance coming from Basmati rice fields yet it also has potential for modern factories. Our determination is steadfast and our path is correct too. I have no doubt that with the blessings of divine mother Vaishno Devi and the hard work done by you people, this state shall scale the new heights of development and it shall certainly achieve success.

Thank you.

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PM Modi urges athletes to explore Bihar’s culture during Khelo India Youth Games

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PM Modi urges athletes to explore Bihar’s culture during Khelo India Youth Games
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The government is focusing on modernizing the sports infrastructure in the country: PM Modi at Khelo India Youth Games
May 04, 2025
QuoteBest wishes to the athletes participating in the Khelo India Youth Games being held in Bihar, May this platform bring out your best: PM
QuoteToday India is making efforts to bring Olympics in our country in the year 2036: PM
QuoteThe government is focusing on modernizing the sports infrastructure in the country: PM
QuoteThe sports budget has been increased more than three times in the last decade, this year the sports budget is about Rs 4,000 crores: PM
QuoteWe have made sports a part of mainstream education in the new National Education Policy with the aim of producing good sportspersons & sports professionals in the country: PM

Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar ji, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, Mansukh Bhai, sister Raksha Khadse and Shri Ram Nath Thakur ji, Deputy CMs of Bihar, Samrat Choudhary ji and Vijay Kumar Sinha ji, other distinguished guests present, all players, coaches, other staff members, and my dear young friends!

I warmly welcome all the sportspersons who have come from every corner of the country—each one better than the other, each one more talented than the other.

Friends,

During the Khelo India Youth Games, competitions will be held across various cities in Bihar. From Patna to Rajgir, from Gaya to Bhagalpur and Begusarai, more than 6,000 young athletes, with over 6,000 dreams and resolutions, will make their mark on this sacred land of Bihar over the next few days. I extend my best wishes to all the players. Sports in Bharat is now establishing itself as a cultural identity. And the more our sporting culture grows in Bharat, the more our soft power as a nation will increase. The Khelo India Youth Games have become a significant platform for the youth of the country in this direction.

Friends,

For any athlete to improve their performance, to constantly test themselves, it is essential to play more matches and participate in more competitions. The NDA government has always given top priority to this in its policies. Today, we have Khelo India University Games, Khelo India Youth Games, Khelo India Winter Games, and Khelo India Para Games. That means, national-level competitions are regularly held all year round, at different levels, across the country. This boosts the confidence of our athletes and helps their talent shine. Let me give you an example from the world of cricket. Recently, we saw the brilliant performance of Bihar’s own son, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, in the IPL. At such a young age, Vaibhav set a tremendous record. Behind his stellar performance is, of course, his hard work, but also the numerous matches at various levels that gave his talent a chance to emerge. In other words, the more you play, the more you blossom. During the Khelo India Youth Games, all the athletes will get the opportunity to understand the nuances of playing at the national level, and you will be able to learn a great deal.

Friends,

Hosting the Olympics in Bharat has been a long-cherished dream of every Indian. Today, Bharat is striving to host the Olympics in 2036. To strengthen Bharat’s presence in international sports and to identify sporting talent at the school level, the government is training athletes right from the school stage. From the Khelo India initiative to the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), an entire ecosystem has been developed for this purpose. Today, thousands of athletes across the country, including from Bihar, are benefiting from it. The government is also focused on providing our players with opportunities to explore and play more sports. That is why games like Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Kho-Kho, Mallakhamb, and even Yogasana have been included in the Khelo India Youth Games. In recent times, our athletes have delivered impressive performances in several new sports. Indian athletes are now excelling in disciplines such as Wushu, Sepak Takraw, Pencak Silat, Lawn Bowls, and Roller Skating. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, our women's team drew everyone's attention by winning a medal in Lawn Bowls.

Friends,

The government is also focused on modernizing sports infrastructure in Bharat. In the past decade, the sports budget has been increased by more than three times. This year, the sports budget is around 4,000 crore rupees. A significant portion of this budget is being spent on developing sports infrastructure. Today, over a thousand Khelo India centres are operational across the country, with more than three dozen of them located in Bihar alone. Bihar is also benefiting from the NDA’s double engine government model. The state government is expanding many schemes at its own level. A Khelo India State Centre of Excellence has been established in Rajgir. Bihar has also been given institutions like the Bihar Sports University and the State Sports Academy. A Sports City is being built along the Patna-Gaya highway. Sports facilities are being developed in the villages of Bihar. Now, the Khelo India Youth Games will further strengthen Bihar’s presence on the national sports map.

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Friends,

The world of sports and the sports-related economy is no longer limited to the playing field. Today, it is creating new avenues of employment and self-employment for the youth. Fields like physiotherapy, data analytics, sports technology, broadcasting, e-sports, and management are emerging as important sub-sectors. Our youth can also consider careers as coaches, fitness trainers, recruitment agents, event managers, sports lawyers, and sports media experts. In other words, a stadium is no longer just a place to play matches—it has become a source of thousands of job opportunities. There are also many new possibilities opening up for youth in the field of sports entrepreneurship. The National Sports Universities being established in the country and the new National Education Policy, which has made sports a part of mainstream education, are both aimed at producing not only outstanding athletes but also top-tier sports professionals in Bharat.

My young friends,

We all know how important sportsmanship is in every aspect of life. We learn teamwork and how to move forward together with others on the sports field. You must give your best on the field, and also strengthen your role as brand ambassadors of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India). I am confident that you will return from Bihar with many wonderful memories. To those athletes who have come from outside Bihar, be sure to savour the taste of litti-chokha. You will surely enjoy makhana from Bihar as well.

Friends,

With the spirit of sportsmanship and patriotism held high from Khelo India Youth Games, I hereby declare the 7th Khelo India Youth Games open.