Shri Modi stated that there are schemes and initiatives but along with that we need socio-political analysis of their impact. He shared, “Take Jyotigram Yojana for example. We allotted a budget for it, people got electricity…that is one thing. But what change came in the lives of the people? That is the issue. That is why we need a socio-political analysis. We even engaged our universities in this and the results were very positive- we got to know the real change that happened in the lives of people.” He also added that due to Jyotigram Yojana, a 30% drop in migration from rural to urban areas was noticed.
Similarly, he gave the example of the development work on the Sabarmati river. “We filled the Sabarmati with water of the Narmada. For tourists, they saw it as the river being full but the results were beyond that,” he stated, adding, “The water table rose and the cost of electricity also reduced. Earlier the water had very high fluoride content but now the water is almost as good as mineral water” The Chief Minister recalled that earlier, even if it rained for five to seven days the hospitals would be full of patients with diseases but due to pure water now, there has been no instance of an epidemic in Ahmedabad for the last many years. “Health conditions have improved. This is the kind of change that can come in due to socio-political analysis and we also get answers to many of our questions,” pointed the Chief Ministers.
In his speech, Shri Modi spoke about the increasing discussion about economic development in today’s age. “Earlier, discussions on economic development were limited to academic world. It was not even covered in the general news. Now there is a big change. Everywhere economic issues are being discussed and this is a very big thing.” Shri Modi expressed joy that Gujarat played a leading role in ensuring that the issue of development comes to the fore.
He also pointed to a recent positive change where there is a healthy competition between the states on the issue of development. Shri Modi opined, “These days there is a healthy competition between states for development. The more this increases, the better it is.” He further pointed that delegations from various states, universities and nations come to Gujarat as well to study the development practices. They also visit other states.
The Chief Minister also pointed that a major issue over the last many years is that of our work culture. He shared that we prefer doing things in fragments rather than doing them as a whole. Shri Modi asked, “We could have built our power plants near to the places where there was coal. Then focused on the grid. Would it not have been economical?” Likewise, he said, “2/3rd of India is coastal. But have we thought about transport from the sea from one port to another? If someone wishes to send something from Kandla to Vishakhapatnam, why cannot it happen through the sea?” He stressed on the strengthening of human resources and skill development and affirmed that the country has everything; it only needs to be harnessed effectively.
Shri Modi declared that every citizen of India owes a lot to our Motherland and that we all must give back to Bharat Mata in any way we feel is appropriate.
