Good governance in Modi regime boosted India’s economic growth: Sonowal

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday asserted that good governance during the eight years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has boosted India's social welfare, economic growth and ease of living of its citizens.

Interacting with the beneficiaries of Prime Minister's Ujjwala Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the minister for shipping, ports, waterways and Ayush said that the people of the country are realising the long-aspired goals of social welfare due to the prime minister's "dynamic leadership".

''The promise of change was delivered through peace agreements, revolutionary infrastructure development and most importantly adhering to the importance and role of the North East in the cause of nation-building. "We must take this wonderful opportunity provided by Modi-ji and give wings to our hopes and dreams for a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Assam and Northeast", he said.

Attacking the Congress for its alleged misgovernance, Sonowal claimed that North East and Assam suffered tremendously during the six decades of dynastic politics of that party. Altogether 28 projects of air connectivity were completed between 2016-17 and 2021-22 in the region while 15 ongoing projects will be completed by March 2023. The UDAN scheme resulted in the development of 15 operational airports while there were only nine in 2014, he said.

The Krishi Udaan scheme has helped farmers of the North East transport agricultural produce to the international market and 1.92 lakh metric tonnes of such products were transported nationally and abroad through it, Sonowal said.

The entire railway network was converted into broad gauge only during the last eight years, the minister said.

Over 3,099 km of roads were developed in the Northeast in the last five years while Assam will soon have India's first Multi-Modal Logistic Park at Jogighopa in Assam.

''We are also building our economic gateway by developing the Sittwe port (in Myanmar) and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Projects while work is going on for the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral Highway which will give a huge boost to the Northeast region,'' Sonowal added.