Development Is Not Just About Building Hand Pumps: Narendra Modi
Addressing a rally after laying the foundation Stone of Rajkot International Airport, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi stated, “We are changing the definition of development. There was an era when getting a hand pump installed for drinking water was considered (by the previous government) as achievement and used to garner votes during elections. But things are different now as we are bringing the waters of the Narmada here for the benefit of citizens If there is one district that stands to gain maximum from waters of the Narmada it is Surendranagar: ”
Modi will also be also be inaugurating IIT Gandhinagar on the same day. He is also expected to lay the foundation stone for six-laning of 201-kilometre- Ahmedabad-Rajkot section of NH-47 worth Rs. 2,893 crore and four-laning of Rajkot-Morbi State Highway. This is Modi’s third visit to Gujarat ahead of Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017.
Talking about the Rajkot airport, he said, “There was no aviation policy post-independence. We implemented these policies & took responsibility to connect smallest of places by air. Who would have imagined that there would be an airport in this district? Is this not development? Is this kind of development not needed...such development will be a boon for our citizens.”
Taking a dig at its naysayers, he maintained, “Some people will have a problem with the (new) airport and those can travel by bus. Aviation is not only about rich people. We have made aviation affordable and within reach of the lesser privileged. For the Rajkot International Airport, we had to only take 4 per cent of land from farmers.”
He went on to say, "Sursagar Dairy will be 'Sukh Sagar' for the people of this region. How can we forget how previous Governments in Gujarat did not allow the dairy sector to grow in Saurashtra. We had the opportunity to change that and promote dairies.”
