PM inaugurates Omkareshwar floating solar projectPM lays foundation stone of 1153 Atal Gram Sushasan buildingsPM releases a commemorative stamp and coin marking the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari VajpayeeToday is a very inspiring day for all of us, today is the birth anniversary of respected Atal ji: PMKen-Betwa Link Project will open new doors of prosperity and happiness in Bundelkhand region: PMThe past decade will be remembered in the history of India as an unprecedented decade of water security and water conservation: PMThe Central Government is also constantly trying to increase facilities for all tourists from the country and abroad: PM
Former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 100th birth anniversary was marked by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's inauguration and foundation stone laying for several development projects in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. Greeting the Christian community in India and around the world a merry Christmas, Shri Modi began his address. He congratulated the people of Madhya Pradesh on the completion of one year of government led by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. Adding that developmental works had gained pace in the last one year, he highlighted the commencement of new infrastructure projects worth over thousands of crores of rupees.
The Prime Minister noted the laying of the foundation stone for the historic Ken-Betwa river linking project, the Daudhan dam and the Omkareshwar floating solar project - MP’s first solar power plant. He congratulated the people of Madhya Pradesh for the same.
Terming today as a remarkably inspirational day on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bharatratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime Minister said today marked the festival of good governance and good service serving as an inspiration to all of us. Remembering Shri Vajpayee while releasing the commemorative stamp and coin the Prime Minister said that Shri Vajpayee had nurtured and mentored many foot soldiers like him over the years. The Prime Minister said that the service of Atalji towards the development of the nation will always remain indelible in our memory.
Shri Modi underlined that work on more than 1100 Atal Gram Sushan Sadan will be underway from today and the first installment has been released for the same. He remarked that the Atal Gram Seva Sadan will propel the development of the villages.
Emphasising that the Good Governance day was not a one day affair, Shri Modi said “Good Governance is the identity of our Governments”.Thanking the people for giving the opportunity to serve for the third consecutive time at the Center and continuously giving opportunity to serve at Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister said that Good Governance was the strongest factor behind this. The Prime Minister urged the intellectuals, political analysts and other noted academicians to evaluate the country after having completed 75 years of Independence on the parameters of development, public welfare and Good Governance. He highlighted that their Government had been successful in ensuring People’s Welfare and developmental works whenever they had the opportunity to serve the people. Shri Modi said “If we are evaluated on certain parameters, the country will see how dedicated we are towards the common people”. He added that the Government worked tirelessly to realise the dreams of our freedom fighters who had shed their blood for our nation. The Prime Minister underlined that good governance requires not only good schemes but also their effective implementation and highlighted that the measure of good governance is the extent to which government schemes benefit the people. The Prime Minister noted that during previous governments which made announcements, the benefits did not reach the people due to a lack of intent and seriousness in implementation. He emphasized the benefits of schemes like the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, where farmers in Madhya Pradesh receive ₹12,000 and said that this was made possible by opening Jan Dhan bank accounts. The Prime Minister highlighted the Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh, noting that it would not have been possible without linking bank accounts to Aadhaar and mobile numbers. He remarked that while cheap ration schemes existed before, the poor had to struggle to get ration while today, the poor receive free ration with complete transparency, thanks to the introduction of technology that eliminated fraud and nationwide facilities like One Nation, One Ration Card.
Shri Modi remarked that good governance means that citizens should not have to beg the government for their rights or run around government offices. He highlighted that their policy is to connect 100% of beneficiaries with 100% of benefits, which sets their governments apart from others. The Prime Minister noted that the entire country is witnessing this, which is why they repeatedly gave them the opportunity to serve.
Emphasizing that good governance addressed both current and future challenges, the Prime Minister said that unfortunately the people of Bundelkhand suffered greatly for decades because of misgovernance of previous governments. He emphasized that many generations of farmers and women in Bundelkhand struggled for every drop of water due the lack of effective governance and thought of a permanent solution to the water crisis by erstwhile dispensations.
Remarking that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was one of the first to understand the importance of river water for India, Shri Modi highlighted that the major river valley projects in India were based on Dr. Ambedkar's vision, and the Central Water Commission was also established due to his efforts. The Prime Minister expressed anguish that previous governments never gave Dr.Ambedkar the due credit for his contributions to water conservation and large dam projects, and they were never serious about these efforts. Emphasizing that even after seven decades, many states in India still have water disputes, the Prime Minister remarked that lack of intent and misgovernance of previous dispensations prevented any concrete efforts.
