The Chief Minister was just speaking on a lot of topics - there are no roads, no hospitals and nothing of Film Division of any sort. I felt satisfied to hear him discussing these problems as it made me feel that this Chief Minister trusts this government to change things. And since he has such faith in my government, I feel the need to fulfill these wishes.
The Porbandar-Silcher Road that he mentioned - I had laid the foundation stone of the road in Gujarat at Porbandar in the capacity of Chief Minister of the State during the period of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. It is also possible that I come here for a similar inauguration in future. But all the subjects that the Chief Minister has mentioned are important. We too are keen on developing North East, the land of Ashta Lakshmi and hence we have allotted a budget of about Rs 60000 crores towards the development of its infrastructure.
During the bilateral talks in Myanmar on my recent visit there, the maximum impetus was on the subject of how to establish connectivity with Imphal. Be it air connectivity, road connectivity or i-ways, it should benefit everyone and the government of Myanmar has also taken important decisions to get associated with the infrastructure projects with the government of India so that this region can be made more accessible. You will surely notice the results in the coming days.
Today, I have had the good fortune of being here for the Sangai festival. Our country has a lot of potential for tourism. No matter where in the world a tourist goes, our one State of India is capable of showcasing more than all that one country can offer the tourist. A tourist can easily tour a State for a month and if he keeps visiting our country every year, choosing to experience a new State, a lifetime wouldn't be enough to see entire India. Every State of our country has a different highlight, such varied is the heritage of our country!
North East and especially Manipur have a lot of opportunities for the development of tourism. Like the Chief Minister just pointed out, I belong to Gujarat. Krishna is celebrated in Dwarka there and I have been brought up in a similar environment, worshipping Lord Krishna. When I saw you worshipping Lord Krishna, singing his praises, I felt right at home in Manipur.
The world tourism sector has an estimated potential worth 3 trillion dollars. If there is any one sector that is growing by leaps and bounds globally, it is the tourism sector. Some places have shown a growth of 40 per cent in this sector. India has a lot to offer to the world that can influence and inspire them. But this area is still largely untapped. It is our constant effort to attract the world through our rich heritage.
The game of Polo was born here. There was a Polo programme arranged here yesterday, in which, according to the information I have, 8 countries participated. This is your heritage. I want the world to know about the place that gave birth to Polo and hence I will match steps with the state in its efforts to highlight their assets.
I just met with delegates from the HRD Ministry and asked them if there was a possibility of about 100 students from all the universities of the country visit North East as tourists. Only if university students start visiting, the tourism scene of the region will change drastically.
They have already begun work towards making this a possibility and you should be able to see the results soon. And there is such diversity of heritage in Manipur. There is song, dance, theatre, costumes and what not. It is truly reflective in its rich cultural heritage. The reason of my joining in the Sangai festival is the same. I want the world to see what Manipur has to offer and when they see the PM visiting, they might want to find out what the hoopla is all about.
There are two theories - one that says if the infrastructure is developed, tourism will develop and the other goes if tourism prospers, infrastructure will have to develop. Both theories carry equal weight. If tourism prospers, the quality of infrastructure will improve which in turn will bring in more visitors. These changes take place gradually over a period of time. We just need to create a friendly environment.
If there is good connectivity then there will be a droves of visitors here. I firmly believe that tourism is one such sector that gives maximum returns in the minimum investment. Everyone - from a snack vendor, an auto rickshaw driver, a florist, a vegetable vendor to a cab driver, a guest house owner and even those offering the option of home stay and a tea vendor - everyone can benefit from the development of tourism. I will be particularly happy if the tea vendor earns well. What I mean to say is that even the poorest of poor would benefit from it.
The government of India has recognised the power of Manipur and hence we have decided to establish a sports university here. Manipur has a huge role to play in India's achievements in sports. We want to harness this power to the optimum as this power is inherent in the DNA of the people of Manipur. Additionally, the people of Manipur have a sportsman spirit and we want to set an example for the rest of the country.
Some people think that a sports university only helps in creating good players but that is not the case. A sport in itself is a large economy. Right from making a playground to those who write scoreboards, the one involved in collection of data, those looking after the players' food habits, physiotherapy and sportsman costumes - everyone finds employment. The youth of Manipur who might not have been able to become players but they can train themselves in this university to become an umpire, a scorer or become a physiotherapist of a good sportsman or can become dietician of a good sportsman, they can also become makers or architects of a playground. In a manner, opportunities of overall development are associated with a sports university. Many people might otherwise think that a sports university would mean a place where players would be trained. But that is not the case. It is a science, an economy, a complete creation with elements of technology, arithmetic and many such elements. You cannot imagine the amount of changes a university can bring about in Manipur.
When I visited Australia recently, I have asked them to collaborate with us on the Manipur Sports University. I want to connect the countries of the world with Manipur and you will reap the benefits in the coming days.
The youth of Manipur wants job and there is a need for skill development that will eventually lead to jobs. I have also asked an IT professional that I just met, to focus on the possibility of establishing call centers here in cities like Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram etc. instead of in cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore. The weather here would diminish the need of air conditioners, thus bringing down the cost hugely. The youth here also speak fluent English, so the language shouldn't be a barrier. I am trying to get this done. I will try and pull some companies here due to which there will be a lot of opportunities for the youth here and they wouldn't have to leave Manipur in search of better jobs.
I have also thought of the possibility of employing the youth of Manipur in the police force of Delhi. When the world sees the youth from the North East policing the streets of Delhi, keeping it safe, they will realise the true potential of these States. I want to work towards this as well.
When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I had a plan that wasn't put into action. I had envisioned a strategy of sort where every State of the North East - 8 of them - will select and send 200 women each to be a part of the police force in Gujarat, in every two years. So, a total of 1600 women would have joined the police forces in Gujarat. Imagine the kind of national integration that would be!
At the same time I had also emphasised how Gujaratis were the best tourists in the whole world. No matter where you go, you will find a Gujarati there. We like to roam around, spending the wealth we have. So as per my plan, if 1600 girls would stay in Gujarat for 2 years, they would at least mingle with 15-20 families each who would in return visit their State thus enhancing tourism. I have told the Chief Minister of Gujarat to explore the possibility and if anyone from the North East wants to visit Gujarat, we would welcome them with open arms. Imagine the benefits these states will reap by associating with a prosperous state like Gujarat.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters of Manipur, all the points that have been raised by the Chief Minister at the closing ceremony of the Sangai festival today, naturally having faith in me, please be assured that I will do my best to keep that faith as I am a man who tries to live up to them. I will go back and discuss the issues with the people of the concerned departments and see what can be done about them. I will also try to fulfill all the promises I have made here today and put all the plans into action. I will also expect that the manner in which Manipur has made us proud in the field of sports, similarly it becomes the flag bearer in the arena of development.
However, I am deeply concerned by one issue here which I would like to address. The youth of Manipur are victims of drug abuse and this deeply hurts me. My heart goes out to the parents of such youth. It is our responsibility to ensure that our future generation does not suffer due to this. It is a dangerous path and it is not about an individual but the whole family and eventually the society and the country suffers immensely due to this.
Hence we need to make a collective decision as a society, to ensure that we will end this. In a land where Lord Krishna and his miracles are celebrated, where we find the country's best players, we will not let Manipur suffer from such a disease. The youth of Manipur have the capability of changing the future of the country. Drugs destroy everything and today as we have gathered here at the pious occasion of the Sangai festival, I request the youth of Manipur to give up drugs. I know it is a difficult addiction to kick, but once you decide, you will be able to come out of it. Once you save yourself, you and your family will benefit from it and grow.
With this request, I thank the people of Manipur for inviting me here and being a part of your celebrations. Thank you!
(The original speech was in Hindi, this is the English rendering. Original speech remains the authoritative version)
Your Excellency, President Muizzu,
Delegates of both the nation,
Our Friends from Media,.
Namaskar to all!
First of all, I would like to extend a warm welcome to President Muizzu and his delegation.
India and Maldives share relations that spans centuries.
And India is the Maldives' closest neighbour and a steadfast friend.
The Maldives holds a significant place in both our 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the 'SAGAR' vision.
India has consistently acted as the first responder for the Maldives.
Be it essential commodities for the people of the Maldives, providing drinking water during natural disasters, delivering vaccines during the COVID pandemic, India has consistently upheld its responsibilities as a neighbour.
And today, to provide strategic direction to our mutual cooperation, we have adopted the vision of "Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership”.
Friends,
Development partnership is a key pillar of our relationship.And we always give preference to the priorities of Maldivian people in this context.
This year SBI has rolled over USD 100 million of Treasury Bills for Maldives. Today, as per the need of Maldives, a currency swap agreement of USD 400 million and INR 3000 crore (INR 30 billion) has also been concluded.
We have discussed about comprehensive cooperation for infrastructure development in the Maldives.Today, we inaugurated a runway at the Hanimadhoo International Airport.Now, the ‘Greater Male’ Connectivity Project will also be expedited. Support will also be provided in the development of a new commercial port in Thilafushi.
Today, over 700 social housing units constructed with India’s assistance have been handed over.Water and sewerage projects have been completed on 28 islands of the Maldives.Work on six other islands will soon be completed.These projects will ensure supply of clean water to thirty thousand people.
Assistance will also be provided in setting up Agriculture Economic Zone in "Haa Dhaalu” and fish processing facility in "Haa Alifu”.
We will also work together in the fields of oceanography and blue economy.
Friends,
To strengthen our economic ties, we have decided to initiate discussions on a Free Trade Agreement. We will also work on trade settlements in local currencies.
We have also focused on digital connectivity.Earlier today, the RuPay card was launched in the Maldives. In future, we will work to connect India and the Maldives through UPI as well.
We have discussed opening a new Indian consulate in Addu and a new Maldivian consulate in Bengaluru.
All these initiatives will strengthen our people-to-people ties.
Friends,
We have engaged in comprehensive discussions on various aspects of defence and security cooperation.
The Ekatha Harbor project is progressing swiftly.
We will continue our cooperation in training and capacity building of the Maldives National Defence Forces. Together, we will strive for stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region.We will enhance our cooperation in hydrography and disaster response.
We also welcome Maldives joining the Colombo Security Conclave as a founding member.
Climate Change poses a big challenge for both the countries. In this regard, India is prepared to share its expertise in solar energy and energy efficiency with Maldives.
Excellency,
Once again, I welcome you and your delegation to India. Your visit is adding a new chapter to our relationship. We will continue to provide all possible support for the progress and prosperity of the people of Maldives.
Thank you very much.
भारत और मालदीव के संबंध सदियों पुराने हैं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 7, 2024
और भारत, मालदीव का सबसे करीबी पड़ोसी और घनिष्ठ मित्र देश है।
हमारी “Neighbourhood First” policy और “सागर” Vision में भी मालदीव का महत्वपूर्ण स्थान है: PM @narendramodi
भारत ने सदैव मालदीव के लिए First Responder की भूमिका निभाई है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 7, 2024
चाहे मालदीव के लोगों के लिए essential commodities की जरूरत पूरा करना हो, प्राकृतिक आपदा के समय पीने का पानी उपलब्द्ध कराना हो, कोविड के समय वैक्सीन देने की बात हो, भारत ने हमेशा अपने पड़ोसी होने के दायित्व को निभाया…
आज, हमने पुनर्विकसित हनीमाधु एयरपोर्ट का उद्दघाटन किया है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 7, 2024
अब, Greater ‘माले’ Connectivity Project में भी तेजी लाई जाएगी।
थिलाफुशी में नए commercial पोर्ट के विकास में भी सहयोग दिया जायेगा।
आज, भारत के सहयोग से बनाये गए 700 से अधिक सोशल हाउसिंग यूनिट्स hand over किये गए हैं:…
मालदीव में RuPay कार्ड लॉन्च किया गया है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 7, 2024
आने वाले समय में, भारत और मालदीव को UPI से भी जोड़ने के लिए काम किया जायेगा: PM @narendramodi