Patna, July 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Bihar on Friday, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 7,217 crore at a massive public gathering at Gandhi Maidan in Motihari, East Champaran.

As part of the event, the Prime Minister also flagged off four Amrit Bharat trains, enhancing rail connectivity across the region.

In a major announcement aimed at youth employment, PM Modi said the Centre has approved a new scheme under which Rs 15,000 will be given to every individual employed for the first time in a private company. The scheme will be implemented from August 1, with the government allocating Rs 1 lakh crore for it.

“New employment for new youth. The youth of Bihar will benefit greatly from this,” the Prime Minister said.

Calling for the eastern states to take the lead in India’s development journey, Modi stressed that the region, particularly Bihar, has immense potential.

“Our resolution is a developed Bihar and employment for every youth. The youth of Bihar should find opportunities within the state itself, and for this, rapid work has been done in recent years. Large-scale government recruitment drives have taken place, and the Centre is working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Bihar government,” he said.

PM Modi also took a sharp dig at previous RJD-Congress governments in the state, accusing them of corruption and ignoring the welfare of the poor.

“Under RJD and Congress rule, it was impossible for funds meant for the poor to actually reach them. Those in power were only interested in looting. But Bihar has shown that the impossible can be made possible. You freed this land from RJD-Congress and paved the way for direct benefit to the poor,” he said.

Recalling the condition of poor families under earlier regimes, he said people were even afraid to paint their houses for fear of harassment, and women were forced to hide money as they had no access to bank accounts.

“Such RJD leaders could never provide you with a permanent house. Earlier, if a woman had Rs 10, she had to hide it. Today, we have opened crores of Jan Dhan accounts, giving the poor a sense of dignity and access to banking,” he added.

–IANS

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