Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Indian Government is fully focussed on building infrastructure that is top notch and sustainable. He said that history has proves that nations which have given topmost priority to infrastructure has made the transition from developing to developed countries.

The Centre has gone beyond what is traditionally referred to as infrastructure and is working to expand India’s gas pipeline network. Work is happening on i-ways. “It is our vision to bring high speed internet to every village,” he said, while laying the foundation stone and inaugurating 11 projects worth over ₹31,530 crore in Tamil Nadu.

Referring to both physical and coastal infrastructure, the Prime Minister said the government’s aim is to ensure Garib Kalyan(welfareof the poor). The emphasis is also on social infrastructure, he said.

Road connectivity

Among the projects, the thrust on road connectivity is visible and directly linked to economic prosperity. For instance, the Bengaluru - Chennai Expressway will connect two major centres, the four-lane double decker elevated road connecting Chennai Port to Maduravoyal will make the port more efficient and will decongest the city, he said.

He laid the foundation stone for a Multi Modal Logistic Park (MMLP) at Chennai worth around ₹1,430 crore. It will provide seamless intermodal freight movement and also offer multiple functionalities. The MMLP will be a paradigm shift in the freight ecosystem. Each of these projects across various sectors will boost job creation and our resolve to be Atma Nirbhar, he said.

Rail projects

The Prime Minister dedicated five projects worth over ₹2,900 crore. This includes the 75-km long Madurai-Theni Railway Gauge Conversion Project, the 30-km long third railway line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu, 115 km-long Ennore-Chengalpattu section and the 271 km-long Thiruvallur-Bengaluru section of ETBPNMT natural gas pipeline.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in his speech urged the Centre to increase its contribution to schemes and fund allocation to do justice to the contribution lent by developed States like Tamil Nadu in the country’s development and economy. Only then will the true spirit of co-operative federalism be upheld.

“The GST compensation due for Tamil Nadu as on May 15, 2022 is ₹14,006 crores. I request that this be released immediately. At a time when many States’ revenues have not yet recovered completely, I demand that the GST compensation period be extended for at least two more years from June 2022,” he said.

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