Dhekiajuli (Assam), Feb 7 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced of setting up at least one medical college and one technical college in each state of the country where the medium of education will be the local language.
“I have a dream, some may call it an audacious one. My dream is that in each state, there should be at least one medical and one technical college where the education is imparted in the local language,” he said.
“After the new state government is in place in May in Assam, the work on it will start here. It may start off slowly, but once the work sets off, no one can stop it,” Modi said, laying the foundation stones for two medical colleges and hospitals at Biswanath and Charaideo districts of the state remotely from the public rally here.
Maintaining that healthcare facilities were near naught in remote areas of the state earlier, he said six new medical colleges are coming up in the state within the last five years compared to six medical colleges in six decades since Independence till 2016.
Mentioning of the AIIMS coming up near Guwahati, the prime minister exuded confidence that Guwahati, Assam’s main city, will soon turn into a centre of medical facilities for entire North East.
He also complimented the BJP-led Assam government for implementing the various healthcare schemes of the Centre and ensuring that hard-earned money of the economically weaker section is saved from being spent on medical expenses.
Referring to the healthcare challenges the COVID 19
pandemic has thrown before the country, Modi said the country rose to the occasion and its handling of the cases and vaccination drive now has drawn praise from the global community.
There has been unprecedented allocation for healthcare in the next fiscal’s Union Budget to ramp up the facilities and take it to the most remote areas, he added.
Also inaugurating the ‘Assam Mala’ scheme for road network development in the same programme, the prime minister said, “India is progressing at a fast pace now, and Assam also has to be a part of this development narrative.”
“Infrastructure and connectivity are crucial for development, and the ‘Assam Mala’ scheme will change the face of road connectivity in the state,” he said.
He also pointed out that with improvement in connectivity, tourism and industry will increase, which in turn will create more job opportunities and help the local economy.
Stressing that Assam and North East have become part of the country’s development agenda, Modi said, “The sun rises first in this part of the country, but NE had to wait for the sun of development to reach it for the year. It has now left behind violence, clashes, poverty, discrimination, and is moving on the path of development, with Assam on the lead.”
The prime minister recited lines from Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s and Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s compositions to emphasis on the potential of Assam to lead the development narrative, while also sprinkling his nearly 30-minute speech with Assamese.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union MoS Rameswar Teli, several state ministers, MPs and MLAs, among others, were present at the rally, which was the prime minister’s second visit to the poll-bound state in a fortnight.
UNI XC-SG RN