QuoteToday, people of the country are working towards creating a strong India, in line with Netaji's vision: PM Modi
QuoteRoss Island would now be named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep; Neil Island would be known as Shaheed Dweep; Havelock Island would be renamed as Swaraj Dweep: PM
QuoteEfforts are being made to make the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as self-sufficient as possible: PM Modi

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, visited Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands today. In Port Blair, he laid a wreath at the Martyrs Column, and visited the Cellular Jail. At Cellular Jail, he visited the cells of Veer Savarkar, and other freedom fighters. He hoisted a high mast flag and offered floral tributes at the Statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

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At a public event to mark the 75th anniversary of the hoisting of Tricolour on Indian soil by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Prime Minister released a commemorative postal stamp, coin, and First Day Cover.

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He also unveiled a series of development projects related to the energy, connectivity and health sectors. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are not just a symbol of India's natural beauty, but are also like a place of pilgrimage for Indians. He said the Andaman and Nicobar Islands remind us of the collective resolve of our freedom fighters.

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He said the Union Government is committed to empowering and developing the islands. He said the development projects unveiled today would further this objective in the field of education, health, connectivity, tourism and employment.

He mentioned his visit to the Cellular Jail, and the point where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had hoisted the tricolour 75 years ago. He said that the Cellular Jail, where thousands of freedom fighters suffered, is no less than a place of worship for him. He said the nation will never forget the sacrifices of the freedom fighters.

Recalling Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Prime Minister said that on Netaji's call, many youth from the Andamans had dedicated themselves to the freedom of India. He said the flag on the 150 feet high mast, is an attempt to preserve the memory of this day in 1943, when Netaji unfurled the tricolour.

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On this occasion, he announced that Ross Island would now be named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep; Neil Island would be known as Shaheed Dweep; and Havelock Island would be renamed as Swaraj Dweep. The Prime Minister said that today, Indians are working towards creating a strong India, in line with Netaji's vision.

The Prime Minister said that the Government is working towards strengthening connectivity across the country. He said that remembering and honouring our heroes, helps strengthen our feeling of integration. He said the Union Government is making efforts to highlight every glorious chapter of our history. In this context he mentioned the Panchteerth related to Babasaheb Ambedkar, the National Police Memorial, and the Statue of Unity. He said National Awards have also been announced in the names of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Sardar Patel.

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The Prime Minister said that the New India that is being built with the inspiration of these great leaders, has development at its core.

He said the Government is committed to developing the Islands in accordance with the requirements of the environment. He said special attention will be given to sectors such as tourism, food processing and information technology, as part of industrial development.

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The Prime Minister said efforts are being made to make the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as self-sufficient as possible. He spoke of the expansion of Port Blair dockyard, which will enable maintenance of big ships. He called for a report on the condition of rural roads in the Islands within two weeks, and said that once the report has been examined, the Union Government will give whatever assistance is possible.

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The Prime Minister said that a new Integrated Terminal Building is coming up at Veer Savarkar International Airport. He said the undersea optical fibre cable from Chennai, once completed, would provide good internet connectivity. He also spoke of development works in areas such as water, power, clean energy, and health.

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Click here to read full text of speech

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وزیراعظم نریندر مودی کا 78 ویں یوم آزادی کے موقع پر لال قلعہ کی فصیل سے خطاب کا متن
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India's coastal states and our port cities will become key centres of growth for a Viksit Bharat: PM Modi in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
May 02, 2025
QuoteThe Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport in Kerala is a significant advancement in India's maritime infrastructure: PM
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Governor of Kerala Rajendra Arlekar Ji, Chief Minister Shri P. Vijayan Ji, my colleagues from the Union Cabinet, all other dignitaries present on the dais, and my brothers and sisters from Kerala.

एल्लावर्क्कुम एन्डे नमस्कारम्। ओरिक्कल कूडि श्री अनन्तपद्मनाभंडे मण्णिलेक्क वरान् साद्धिच्चदिल् एनिक्क अतियाय सन्तोषमुण्ड।

Friends,

Today is the birth anniversary of Lord Adi Shankaracharya. Three years ago in September, I had the privilege of visiting his birthplace Kshetram. I am happy that a grand statue of Adi Shankaracharya has been installed in the Vishwanath Dham complex in my parliamentary constituency Kashi. I have also had the privilege of unveiling the divine idol of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand. And today itself the doors of Kedarnath temple have opened in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. After leaving Kerala, Adi Shankaracharya ji awakened the consciousness of the nation by establishing monasteries in different corners of the country. On this auspicious occasion, I pay my respectful obeisance to him.

Friends,

On one side there is this vast ocean with its possibilities. And on the other side there is the amazing beauty of nature. And amidst all this, there is this Vizhinjam deep-water sea port, a symbol of new age development. I congratulate the people of Kerala, the people of the country.

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Friends,

This sea port has been built at a cost of Eight thousand Eight hundred crore rupees. The present capacity of this trans-shipment hub will also increase to three times in the coming time. The world's big cargo ships will be able to come here easily. Till now 75 percent of India's trans-shipment used to happen at ports outside India. Due to this, the country has been facing a huge revenue loss. This situation is about to change. Now the country's money will be used for the country. The money which used to go out, will bring new economic opportunities for the people of Kerala and Vizhinjam.

Friends,

Before slavery, our India has seen prosperity for thousands of years. At one time, India used to have a major share in the global GDP. At that time, what made us different from other countries was our maritime capacity and the economic activity of our port cities. Kerala had a major contribution in this. Trade used to take place from Kerala to different countries of the world via the Arabian Sea. From here, ships used to go to many countries of the world for trade. Today, the Government of India is working with the resolve to further strengthen that channel of the country's economic power. India's coastal states and our port cities, will become important centers of growth of developed India. I have just returned from visiting the port, and when the people of Gujarat will come to know that Adani has built such a great port here in Kerala, he has been working on the port in Gujarat for 30 years, but till now he has not built such a port there, then he will have to be ready to bear the anger of the people of Gujarat. I would also like to say to our Chief Minister, you are a very strong pillar of the Indi Alliance, Shashi Tharoor is also present here, and today's event will give sleepless nights to many people. The message has gone where it was supposed to go.

Friends,

The full potential of the port economy is realized only when both infrastructure and ease of doing business are promoted. This has been the blueprint of the port and waterways policy of the Government of India in the last 10 years. We have progressed rapidly the work for industrial activities and holistic development of the state. The Government of India, in collaboration with the state government, has upgraded port infrastructure under the Sagarmala project and has also increased port connectivity. Under PM-Gatishakti, the inter-connectivity of waterways, railways, highways and airways is being improved at a rapid pace. The reforms that have been done for ease of doing business have also increased investment in ports and other infrastructure sectors. The Government of India has also made reforms in the rules related to Indian seafarers. And the country is seeing its results. The number of Indian seafarers in 2014 was less than 1.25 lakh. Now their number has increased to more than 3.25 lakh. Today India has been included in the list of top three countries in the world in terms of the number of seafarers.

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Friends,

People associated with the shipping industry know how long our ships had to wait at ports 10 years ago. It used to take a long time to unload them. Due to this, the speed of business, industry and economy was affected. But the situation has changed now. Ship turn-around time at our major ports has reduced by 30 percent in the last 10 years. The efficiency of our ports has also increased, due to which we are handling more cargo in less time.

Friends,

Behind this success of India is the hard work and vision of the last decade. In the last 10 years, we have doubled the capacity of our ports. Our National Waterways have also expanded 8 times. Today, our two Indian ports are among the global top 30 ports. Our ranking in the Logistics Performance Index has also improved. We have joined the top-20 countries in global shipbuilding. After improving our basic infrastructure, we are now focusing on India's strategic position in global trade. In this direction, we have launched Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision. We have created a roadmap of what our maritime strategy will be to reach the goal of a developed India. You will remember that in the G-20 Summit, we have agreed on the India Middle East Europe Corridor with many big countries. Kerala is at a very important position on this route. Kerala is going to benefit a lot from this.

Friends,

The private sector has also played an important role in giving new heights to the country's maritime sector. Thousands of crores of rupees have been invested in the last 10 years under Public-Private Partnerships. With this partnership, our ports have not only been upgraded to global standards but have also become future ready. The participation of the private sector has promoted both innovation and efficiency. And may be the media people might have focused on one thing, when our Port minister was giving his speech, he said, while mentioning Adani, he said that the partner of our government, a minister of a communist Government is speaking, for the private sector, that the partner of our government, this is a transforming India.

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Friends,

We are also moving towards establishing a shipbuilding and repair cluster in Kochi. With the establishment of this cluster, many new employment opportunities will be created here. The local talent of Kerala, the youth of Kerala, will get a chance to move forward.

Friends,

The country is now moving forward with big goals to increase India's shipbuilding capabilities. In this year's budget, a new policy has been announced to increase the construction of big ships in India. This will also give a boost to our manufacturing sector. This will directly benefit our MSME, and it will create a large number of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Friends,

Development in the true sense happens when infrastructure is built, trade grows and the basic needs of the common man are also fulfilled. The people of Kerala know how rapidly the port infrastructure along with highways, railways and airports have developed in Kerala in the last 10 years due to our efforts. Projects like Kollam Bypass and Alappuzha Bypass, which were stuck for years, have been taken forward by the Government of India. We have also given modern Vande Bharat trains to Kerala.

Friends,

The Government of India believes in the mantra of development of the country through the development of Kerala. We are working in the spirit of cooperative federalism. In the last decade, we have also worked to take Kerala forward on the social parameters of development. People of Kerala are getting a lot of benefits from many such schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission, Ujjwala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme.

Friends,

The benefit of our fishermen is also our priority. Projects worth hundreds of crores of rupees have been approved for Kerala under Blue Revolution and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. We have also modernized fishing harbors like Ponnani and Puthiyappa. Thousands of fishermen brothers and sisters in Kerala have also been given Kisan Credit Cards, due to which they have received help worth hundreds of crores of rupees.

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Friends,

Our Kerala has been the land of harmony and tolerance. The country's first church, and one of the world's oldest churches, St. Thomas Church was built here hundreds of years ago. We all know that a great moment of sorrow has come for all of us just a few days ago. We all lost Pope Francis a few days ago. Our Honorable President, Draupadi Murmu ji went there to attend his funeral on behalf of India. Our colleague from Kerala, our minister Mr. George Kurien also went with her. I, too, once again, from the land of Kerala, offer my condolences to all those involved in this grief.

Friends,

The world will always remember Pope Francis for his spirit of service and his efforts to give everyone a place in Christian traditions. I consider it my good fortune that whenever I got the opportunity to meet him, I got the opportunity to talk to him in detail on many topics. And I noticed that I always got special affection from him. I had discussions with him on topics like humanity, service and peace, his words will always inspire me.

Friends,

I once again convey my best wishes to you all for today's event. The Government of India will continue to work with the state government to make Kerala a major centre for global maritime trade and create thousands of new jobs. I have full confidence that with the potential of the people of Kerala, India's maritime sector will touch new heights.

नमुक्क ओरुमिच्च् ओरु विकसित केरलम पडत्तुयर्ताम्, जइ केरलम् जइ भारत l

Thank You.