PM addresses ‘Peace, Unity and Development Rally’ at Diphu, Assam

Published By : Admin | April 28, 2022 | 11:32 IST
“Lachit Borphukan’s life is an inspiration of patriotism and Rashtra Shakti”
“‘Double engine’ government is working with the spirit of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas”
“Project of Amrit Sarovars is completely based on people’s participation”
“Since 2014 difficulties in the North East are reducing and development is taking place”
“Bodo Accord in 2020 opened doors for permanent peace”
“During the last 8 years we have revoked AFSPA from many areas of North East due to peace and better law & order conditions”
“The agreement reached between Assam and Meghalaya will encourage other matters as well. This will give impetus to the development aspirations of the entire region”
“We have to make up for the development which we could not achieve in the earlier decades”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the ‘Peace, Unity and Development Rally’ at Diphu in Karbi Anglong District today. During the programme, he also laid the foundation stone of various projects. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Veterinary College (Diphu), Degree College (West Karbi Anglong) and Agricultural College (Kolonga, West Karbi Anglong). These projects, worth more than Rs 500 crore, will bring new opportunities for skilling and employment in the region. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for more than 2950 Amrit Sarovar projects. The state will develop these Amrit Sarovars at a cumulative cost of around Rs 1150 crore. Governor of Assam, Shri Jagdish Mukhi and Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma were among those present.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister thanked the people of Karbi Anglong for their warm welcome. He noted the coincidence of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and 400th Anniversary of the great son of Assam Lachit Borphukan falling in the same time period. “Lachit Borphukan’s life is an inspiration of patriotism and Rashtra Shakti. I salute this great hero of the country from Karbi Anglong”, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that the ‘double engine’ government is working with the spirit of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas. “Today this resolve has been reinforced on this land of Karbi Anglong. The work of carrying out the agreement which was signed for the permanent peace and rapid development of Assam is going on at a brisk pace”, he said.

Prime Minister Modi noted that today the work of construction of more than 2600 Sarovars is starting. This project, he emphasized, is completely based on people’s participation. He acknowledged the rich traditions of such sarovars in the tribal communities. He expressed the hope that that these ponds will not only become the water storage for villages but will also become a source of income.

The Prime Minister underlined the fact that since 2014, the difficulties in the North East are reducing and development is taking place. “Today, when someone comes to the tribal areas of Assam or goes to other states of the North East, he also appreciates the situation changing”, he said. The Prime Minister recalled last year’s inclusion of many organization from Karbi Anglong in the peace and development process. Bodo Accord in 2020 also opened doors for permanent peace. Similarly, said the Prime Minister, in Tripura too, NIFT have taken step towards peace. Two and half decade old Bru-Reang was also solved, the Prime Minister added. The Prime Minister also said that for a long time, Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) had been imposed on many states of the Northeast. “However, during the last 8 years, we have removed AFSPA from many areas of North East due to the arrival of permanent peace and better law and order conditions”, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said that solution for border problems is being sought in the spirit of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. “The agreement reached between Assam and Meghalaya will encourage other matters as well. This will give impetus to the development aspirations of the entire region”, the Prime Minister emphasized.

Talking about the rich cultural heritage of the tribal communities, the Prime Minister said “The culture of tribal society, its language, food, art, handicrafts, all these are the rich heritage of India. Assam is even more prosperous in this respect. This cultural heritage connects India, strengthens the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.”

Prime Minister Modi said that in the Amrit Kaal of Azadi, Karbi Anglong is also moving towards a new future of peace and development. Now from here we don't have to look back. In the coming few years, together we have to make up for the development, which we could not achieve in the earlier decades, he added. The Prime Minister appreciated Assam and other state governments of the region for implementing centre’s schemes with a sense of service and dedication. He thanked the women for coming out in such large numbers and reiterated his continued focus on the upliftment of status, ease of life and dignity of women in all the measures of the government.

The Prime Minister concluded by assuring the people of Assam that he will repay their love and affection with interest and rededicated himself for the continued development of the region.

Prime Minister’s unwavering commitment towards peace and development of the region was exemplified with the recent signing of Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) by Government of India and Government of Assam with six Karbi militant outfits. The Memorandum of Settlement has ushered in a new era of peace in the region.

Click here to read full text speech

Explore More
Today, the entire country and entire world is filled with the spirit of Bhagwan Shri Ram: PM Modi at Dhwajarohan Utsav in Ayodhya

Popular Speeches

Today, the entire country and entire world is filled with the spirit of Bhagwan Shri Ram: PM Modi at Dhwajarohan Utsav in Ayodhya
Modi’s West Asia tour marks India’s quiet reordering of regional security partnerships

Media Coverage

Modi’s West Asia tour marks India’s quiet reordering of regional security partnerships
NM on the go

Nm on the go

Always be the first to hear from the PM. Get the App Now!
...
PM chairs 50th meeting of PRAGATI
December 31, 2025
In last decade, PRAGATI led ecosystem has helped accelerate projects worth more than ₹85 lakh crore: PM
PM’s Mantra for the Next Phase of PRAGATI: Reform to Simplify, Perform to Deliver, Transform to Impact
PM says PRAGATI is essential to sustain reform momentum and ensure delivery
PM says Long-Pending Projects have been Completed in National Interest
PRAGATI exemplifies Cooperative Federalism and breaks Silo-Based Functioning: PM
PM encourages States to institutionalise PRAGATI-like mechanisms especially for the social sector at the level of Chief Secretary
In the 50th meeting, PM reviews five critical infrastructure projects spanning five states with a cumulative cost of more than ₹40,000 crore
Efforts must be made for making PM SHRI schools benchmark for other schools of state governments: PM

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 50th meeting of PRAGATI - the ICT-enabled multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation - earlier today, marking a significant milestone in a decade-long journey of cooperative, outcome-driven governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The milestone underscores how technology-enabled leadership, real-time monitoring and sustained Centre-State collaboration have translated national priorities into measurable outcomes on the ground.

Review undertaken in 50th PRAGATI

During the meeting, Prime Minister reviewed five critical infrastructure projects across sectors, including Road, Railways, Power, Water Resources, and Coal. These projects span 5 States, with a cumulative cost of more than ₹40,000 crore.

During a review of PM SHRI scheme, Prime Minister emphasized that the PM SHRI scheme must become a national benchmark for holistic and future ready school education and said that implementation should be outcome oriented rather than infrastructure centric. He asked all the Chief Secretaries to closely monitor the PM SHRI scheme. He further emphasized that efforts must be made for making PM SHRI schools benchmark for other schools of state government. He also suggested that Senior officers of the government should undertake field visits to evaluate the performance of PM SHRI schools.

On this special occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi described the milestone as a symbol of the deep transformation India has witnessed in the culture of governance over the last decade. Prime Minister underlined that when decisions are timely, coordination is effective, and accountability is fixed, the speed of government functioning naturally increases and its impact becomes visible directly in citizens’ lives.

Genesis of PRAGATI

Recalling the origin of the approach, the Prime Minister said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat he had launched the technology-enabled SWAGAT platform (State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology) to understand and resolve public grievances with discipline, transparency, and time-bound action.

Building on that experience, after assuming office at the Centre, he expanded the same spirit nationally through PRAGATI bringing large projects, major programmes and grievance redressal onto one integrated platform for review, resolution, and follow-up.

Scale and Impact

Prime Minister noted that over the years the PRAGATI led ecosystem has helped accelerate projects worth more than 85 lakh crore rupees and supported the on-ground implementation of major welfare programmes at scale.

Since 2014, 377 projects have been reviewed under PRAGATI, and across these projects, 2,958 out of 3,162 identified issues - i.e. around 94 percent - have been resolved, significantly reducing delays, cost overruns and coordination failures.

Prime Minister said that as India moves at a faster pace, the relevance of PRAGATI has grown further. He noted that PRAGATI is essential to sustain reform momentum and ensure delivery.

Unlocking Long-Pending Projects

Prime Minister said that since 2014, the government has worked to institutionalise delivery and accountability creating a system where work is pursued with consistent follow-up and completed within timelines and budgets. He said projects that were started earlier but left incomplete or forgotten have been revived and completed in national interest.

Several projects that had remained stalled for decades were completed or decisively unlocked after being taken up under the PRAGATI platform. These include the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge in Assam, first conceived in 1997; the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link, where work began in 1995; the Navi Mumbai International Airport, conceptualised in 1997; the modernisation and expansion of the Bhilai Steel Plant, approved in 2007; and the Gadarwara and LARA Super Thermal Power Projects, sanctioned in 2008 and 2009 respectively. These outcomes demonstrate the impact of sustained high-level monitoring and inter-governmental coordination.

From silos to Team India

Prime Minister pointed out that projects do not fail due to lack of intent alone—many fail due to lack of coordination and silo-based functioning. He said PRAGATI has helped address this by bringing all stakeholders onto one platform, aligned to one shared outcome.

He described PRAGATI as an effective model of cooperative federalism, where the Centre and States work as one team, and ministries and departments look beyond silos to solve problems. Prime Minister said that since its inception, around 500 Secretaries of Government of India and Chief Secretaries of States have participated in PRAGATI meetings. He thanked them for their participation, commitment, and ground-level understanding, which has helped PRAGATI evolve from a review forum into a genuine problem-solving platform.

Prime Minister said that the government has ensured adequate resources for national priorities, with sustained investments across sectors. He called upon every Ministry and State to strengthen the entire chain from planning to execution, minimise delays from tendering to ground delivery.

Reform, Perform, Transform

On the occasion, the Prime Minister shared clear expectations for the next phase, outlining his vision of Reform, Perform and Transform saying “Reform to simplify, Perform to deliver, Transform to impact.”

He said Reform must mean moving from process to solutions, simplifying procedures and making systems more friendly for Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business.

He said Perform must mean to focus equally on time, cost, and quality. He added that outcome-driven governance has strengthened through PRAGATI and must now go deeper.

He further said that Transform must be measured by what citizens actually feel about timely services, faster grievance resolution, and improved ease of living.

PRAGATI and the journey to Viksit Bharat @ 2047

Prime Minister said Viksit Bharat @ 2047 is both a national resolve and a time-bound target, and PRAGATI is a powerful accelerator to achieve it. He encouraged States to institutionalise similar PRAGATI-like mechanisms especially for the social sector at the level of Chief Secretary.

To take PRAGATI to the next level, Prime Minister emphasised the use of technology in each and every phase of the project life cycle.

Prime Minister concluded by stating that PRAGATI@50 is not merely a milestone it is a commitment. PRAGATI must be strengthened further in the years ahead to ensure faster execution, higher quality, and measurable outcomes for citizens.

Presentation by Cabinet Secretary

On the occasion of the 50th PRAGATI milestone, the Cabinet Secretary made a brief presentation highlighting PRAGATI’s key achievements and outlining how it has reshaped India’s monitoring and coordination ecosystem, strengthening inter-ministerial and Centre-State follow-through, and reinforcing a culture of time-bound closure, which resulted in faster implementation of projects, improved last-mile delivery of Schemes and Programmes and quality resolution of public grievances.