This Article is From Dec 04, 2015

Centre, States Must Work Together for India's Progress: PM Modi

Centre, States Must Work Together for India's Progress: PM Modi

PM Modi said there was no dearth of good ideas in the country but their efficient execution was necessary for success and he was focusing on this.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government was taking states on board for development of the country, asserting that India can move ahead only on the "strong shoulders" of the states and not from Delhi alone.

"India is not going to progress from Delhi," PM Modi said while delivering the inaugural address at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.

Citing various measures taken by his government like setting up special departments for states at the Centre in taking them along, PM Modi said the states have the most "important role" in India's progress.

"States have the most important role in India's progress. India can move ahead only on the strong shoulders of the states and not from Delhi alone. If we walk together shoulder to shoulder then results will automatically come," he said.

Prime Minister Modi said it is important that the world knows about our states and their strengths.

During his 40-minute speech that was laced with humour, the prime minister also said that a decisive mandate given to his party in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was crucial to the country's progress.

Having a stable Government is a very big thing and this can't be ignored. Fractured mandates always have uncertainty," he said, adding, there was "despondency" all over before his government took over office in May last year.

Talking about the measures being taken by his government to push development in states, especially the eastern region, PM Modi said the Centre had recently sanctioned two major plants for manufacturing railway engines in Bihar.

PM Modi said there was no dearth of good ideas in the country but their efficient execution was necessary for success and he was focusing on this.

The prime minister spoke about various initiatives taken by his government, including promoting LED lights in 100 cities, targeted subsidies and changing work culture in the public sector to turn it around, to push development and save money.

He lamented that if he had done disinvestment in public sector and slashed subsidies, then reformists would have hailed him and clapped for days, but they were not noticing that he was achieving the same results by doing things differently.

"If I cut down subsidy, I will be hailed as reformist, but if we do targetted delivery of subsidies it is not seen as reform," he added.

PM Modi said over 40 lakh families had given up LPG cylinder subsidies on his call and his government used the savings from this to give cylinder to as many poor families. Talking about MoUs signed by the Centre with 100 cities for promotion of LED lights, he said it will result in saving 21,500 MW of power.

"If I had announced a new power project of 21,500 MW, then it would be a headline in media. Such a factory would have cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore. I have achieved the same result but it has not got the same attention," he told the audience.

Power generation record had been broken by his government, work on 60-65 of over 85 major projects pending for years had started, he said.
 
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