West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said that India, which was lagging in infrastructure development during the previous regimes in the country, is now one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and this was possible because of the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the last 12 years of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rule in the country.
Speaking to the media persons on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the NDA government at the Centre, CM Adhikari elaborated on the statistical details of the major economic developments in the country during the last 12 years. “In the last 12 years, 1,317 new and modernised railway stations have been built in the country.
More than 164 Vande Bharat trains are running in different parts of the country. Once Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express were the hallmarks of modern railway services. Now Vande Bharat has become a symbol of the country's new aspirations. Under Narendra Modi's leadership, the distance from one end of the country to the other has reduced.
The time gap has also reduced, and the pace of economic activities has increased,” the Chief Minister said. According to him, besides the railways, India had also progressed exceptionally in the civil aviation sector during the last 12 years. “In 2014, the number of airports in the country was 74.
Today, that number has more than doubled. Over 90 new airports have been built in the country in the last 12 years,” the Chief Minister added. According to him, the remarkable development in the road transport segment during the last 12 years is evident from the construction of about four lakh kilometres of roads, expansion of national highways, development of communication system in border and remote areas
“All these have changed the economic structure of the country for the better. Development is no longer just centred in the metropolitan cities. Rather it has reached the remotest corners of the villages,” CM Adhikari said. Speaking from the West Bengal perspective, he said that in just one month of the new government in the state, pace has been added to development activities through better coordination between the state and Union government.
“The Union ministers are coming to West Bengal. We are also going to Delhi regularly. As a result, the work of approving and implementing projects is progressing rapidly,” the Chief Minister said. He also confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to West Bengal later this month and will attend two functions in the state.
On June 20, which will henceforth be celebrated as the 'Bengal Foundation Day', the Prime Minister will address a gathering in Tarakeswar, Hooghly district, known for the iconic Tarakeshwar (Lord Shiva) temple, and will announce some development projects for the state from there. On June 21, the Prime Minister is scheduled to attend a programme in Kolkata on the occasion of the 'International Day of Yoga'.