Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi clad in traditional Nyishi attire of Bopia (head gear), Pomo (Jacket) and Zilang (Apatani shawl) attended as Chief Guest at the 29th Statehood Day and Festival of Arunachal along with the Union Minister for Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu, the Union MoS for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha, and the Union MoS for Home Shri Kiren Rijiju.

Making Life a Celebration

Upon hearing of arrival of the Prime Minister at Arunachal, the joy of the people were not bound and made their life a celebration as every citizen of state, young and old, clad in their best traditional attire flock at Indira Gandhi Park, Itanagar, the venue of the function in thousands to hear of the “Maan Ki Baat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” live at the function.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the mammoth gathering said that Arunachal is the only state in the country where people greet each other with "Jai Hind". "The tradition followed by people here is an inspiration for the entire country," the Prime Minister said complimenting the people for their patriotic nature and "zealously guarding" the easternmost frontier of the country.

The Prime Minister on the historic day of the state dedicated the 21.75 km long Harmuti-Naharlagun rail line and flagged off the Naharlagun-Delhi AC Express connecting Naharlagun station, about 10 km off Itanagar, with Delhi and the Inter-City Express between Naharlagun and Guwahati. The Naharlagun-Delhi AC Express would cover a distance of 2,100-km in its long journey in 38 hours thereby bringing the strategically located border State of Arunachal Pradesh to the country’s railway map.

CM Tuki said that the proposed Arunachal Vision 2030 with the tagline ‘Together we will do it’ has a holistic approach which will encompass six broad areas to boost the state’s development activities.

Pointing out that rail network is the backbone of the economy of any region, Mr Modi said that biggest stumbling block of the Northeastern states have been connectivity.

Modi also inaugurated the Itanagar Water Supply Scheme and laid the foundation stone of a 132KV transmission line before declaring the ‘Festival of Arunachal’ open – to the cheers from a huge gathering. He also released a souvenir to mark the 29th Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh.

Prime Minister assured Arunachal Pradesh of much more development in next five years than it had seen in past 28 years but cautioned the people to see that the government spends each penny judiciously.

Reiterating his vision of converting the northeastern states into the organic farming capital of India, Mr Modi, while addressing a large gathering in Itanagar, said that there is no dearth of money for development of the region but accountability and transparency in utilization of fund was equally necessary.

Appealing the people to ask for the account of public money used by the government, Mr Modi said, “You should ask me also if your money is judiciously used for the development or not. I have asked my ministers and officers to visit the region frequently to monitor progress of development work and to ensure better utilization of the Central fund.”

“Arunachal Pradesh is the largest state in northeast in terms of area. There is less population here but tremendous potential for growth. I assure you that you will witness more development in the state in next five years than it had seen in last 28 years,” said Mr Modi.

He appealed to the people of the state to extend their cooperation in harnessing the huge hydropower potential of the state for their own progress and for lighting up the entire country. Mr Modi referred the examples of Nepal and Bhutan, which after initial hesitation and concern, has started harnessing its hydropower potential to transform their economy. He said that another Himalayan state Himachal Pradesh has done the same for India.

Chow Bilaseng Namchoom

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