Bhubaneswar, June 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Odisha the shining star of rich cultural heritage of India during his visit to the state on Friday while addressing the gathering at the state-level function marking one year of the Mohan Charan Majhi-led state government.

PM Modi said: “Odisha is not merely a state, but a shining star of India’s rich heritage. Odisha has enriched Indian civilization, our culture for hundreds of years. Today when the mantra of development and heritage has become the foundation of India’s progress, the role of Odisha has grown even more significant.”

The Prime Minister added that he politely declined the invitation of US President to visit America after the completion of the G7 summit in Canada, as he had already planned to visit the holy land of Lord Jagannath on Friday.

Mentioning that Odisha too had been grappling with numerous challenges for decades, PM Modi noted that corruption and red-tapism were dominant, and the infrastructure across Odisha was in a dire condition under the previous regimes.

He claimed that such challenges had become the unfortunate reality of Odisha, asserting that over the past year, their government has worked with full resolve to address these issues.

Elaborating on the double benefits under the double-engine government, PM Modi said: “People of the state were long deprived of many health schemes — today they are availing benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojana as well as Jan Aarogya Yojana. More than 23 lakh senior citizens above the age of 70 years are also drawing benefits under Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana.”

PM Modi said that the nation has seen the Congress model for years, which offered nothing other than corruption, policy paralysis, the sprouting of middlemen but in BJP-ruled states, a new model of growth took shape, which is oriented towards public welfare.

Citing examples of Assam and Tripura, he observed that in the past decade, several states witnessed stability, rapid progress, peace and progress following the formation of BJP governments for the first time.

PM Modi further said that prior to 2014, tribal communities neither got development nor participation in governance.

The country had more than 125 tribal areas, all affected by the Maoist violence but instead of finding a solution, previous governments only sought to discredit them by labelling them as ‘Maoist-affected’.

PM Modi vowed to defeat LWE and said that hopes and dreams of tribal population will be brought to fruition.

Discussing the second major scheme, PM Janman Yojana, the Prime Minister stated that the inspiration for this scheme emerged from the land of Odisha.

He acknowledged the guidance of the nation’s first tribal woman President, and Odisha’s daughter, Droupadi Murmu, in shaping this initiative.

He also stated that the growth of 21st-century India will be powered by Eastern India.

PM Modi said that this is the era of Purvoday.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation of multiple development projects worth over Rs 18,600 crore covering critical sectors including drinking water, irrigation, agricultural infrastructure, health infrastructure, rural roads and bridges, sections of national highways, and a new railway line.

During the event here on Friday, the Prime Minister flagged off new train services extending rail connectivity to Boudh district for the first time.

The Prime Minister also released the Odisha Vision Document for a Samruddha Odisha by 2036 (when Odisha completes 100 years as India’s first linguistic state) and 2047 (when India celebrates 100 years of Independence), the Vision will outline an ambitious and future-ready roadmap for inclusive growth.

–IANS

gyan/pgh