Correcting historical mistake of neglecting Assam, says Modi, gifts bouquet of projects worth 10K crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modiasserted on Thursday he is correcting the ''historical mistake''committed by governments since Independence of neglectingAssam, as he gifted a bouquet of development projects worthabout Rs 10,000 crore to the state ahead of the assemblypolls.

Modi also said BJP's double engine governments at theCentre and in Assam reduced geographical and culturaldistances between the state and rest of the country.

''Prior to Independence, Assam enjoyed a high per-capita income but since 1947 its development was neglected.

Correcting the historical mistake of neglecting Assam hadbegun with former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, and nowit has gained strength with the BJP government taking itsdevelopment as a priority,'' he said.

The prime minister, who was in Assam for a second timein less than a fortnight, had unleashed a developmentoffensive in the run up to the state polls on February 7 whenhe had launched and dedicated to the nation infrastructureprojects involving Rs 9,310 crore.

The prime minister virtually launched the Rs 3,231-crore 'Mahabahu Brahmaputra' project on Thursday, whichincludes the construction of an inland water terminal atJogighopa and tourist jetties at Pandu, Jogighopa, Neamati andBiswanat ghat.

Modi said developing waterway connectivity as part ofthe project will provide an alternative route to connect thenortheast with other parts of India and neighbouringcountries.

''The Brahmaputra is not just a river, it is themanifestation of the great saga of the north east's ethnicdiversity and the region's harmonious co-existence.

''Along the banks of this mighty river, grew theculture and civilisation of Assam... over the years, manythings have changed but what has not is the Brahmaputra'scountless blessings in the form of diverse religious, societaland cultural influences on different ethnic communities livingon both banks of this river,'' Modi said.

This river is, in fact, the nerve-centre of thestate's possibility, potentiality and prosperity, he said.

However, Modi said the irony is that instead ofconsidering the Brahmaputra as 'Assam's Pride', sinceIndependence, the river was treated as 'Assam's Sorrow' due tofloods and erosion caused by it.

''Our government since coming to power made sincereattempts to realise Brahmaputra's innumerable blessings,'' thePM said.

He also laid the foundation of the country's longestriver bridge of 19 km from Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari inMeghalaya at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore, and the 8-kmJorhat-Majuli bridge.

The prime minister laid the foundation of the Rs 350-crore North East Data Centre at Guwahati, too, along with thee-portals PANI and CAR-D for ease of doing business.

Developing connectivity through roadways, railways,airways and inland waterways will help realise the aspirationsof the people of Assam and make the region the growth centreof the country, he said.

Efforts are underway to make the state and thenortheast the hub of cultural and business relations withother East Asian countries, Modi said.

He said it is painful to note that Assam, which wasamong the highest revenue-paying states during the British eraand the fifth most prosperous state at the time ofIndependence, had to depend so heavily on grants and subsidiesof the central government during the subsequent years.

The traditional trade routes got disrupted afterIndependence and this adversely affected the economy, alongwith poor governance and mismanagement, the prime ministersaid.

''Our government is committed to changing the dismalscenario and transform this neglected region of the past...,''he asserted.

Modi also highlighted the government's focussedattention for the development of Majuli, the country's largestriver island, and said it was committed to preserving Majuli'sunique culture, ecology, and to protecting it from erosion andconnecting it with the mainland.

The prime minister said he was happy to say that thereis a remarkable change in Majuli -- be it road infrastructure,health care facilities, academic opportunities or governance,''change is visible everywhere in the island''.

He added that work on the India-Bangladesh protocolroute across the Hooghly River to connect the Brahmaputra andthe Barak River has been initiated.