“After independence, development of Eastern India was ignored for long time”: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that after independence, the development of Eastern India was ignored for a long time whereas his government considers it as the growth engine of the country’s development.

Addressing a gathering here today, PM Modi asserted that before 2014, the average railway budget of Bengal was around Rs 4,000 crore which has now reached almost Rs 14,000 crore.

“After independence, the development of Eastern India was ignored for a long time. Whereas our government considers Eastern India as the growth engine of the country’s development. Therefore, unprecedented investment is being made in the connectivity sector in this area. Before 2014, the average railway budget of Bengal was around Rs 4,000 crore which has now reached almost Rs 14,000 crore. Siliguri is also among the 500 stations that are being renovated under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme,” he said.

“Today, two road projects costing more than Rs 3,000 crore have been inaugurated in North Bengal. This will reduce the problem of traffic jams. Tourism, industry and tea farmers in this entire area will also benefit. The Central Government is making every possible effort from its side for the development of West Bengal,” he added.

PM Modi flagged off the Siliguri-Radhikapur train virtually and asserted that the effort of our government is to increase the speed of trains in North Bengal in the same way as it is being increased in the entire country.