Jaipur, Sep 25 (IANS) Inaugurating and laying foundation stones for projects worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday slammed the Congress for ignoring the country’s energy needs, highlighting his government’s achievement of giving free power to 2.5 crore households since 2014.

Addressing a rally at Banswara as part of a visit during which he unveiled 12 major schemes and projects across various sectors for 21 districts of Rajasthan, PM Modi said, “There was not even an electricity poll in 18,000 villages when we came to power in 2014.”

“The Congress ignored the power sector, and there used to be long power cuts in cities and villages,” he said, adding that earlier, the restoration of electricity supply used to be a bigger news than a supply cut.

He said the corruption and loot perpetrated by the Congress government in Rajasthan is being healed by the BJP government now.

PM Modi said, “From the land of Rajasthan, a new chapter is starting on India’s capabilities in the energy sector. It shows that the country is moving forward with electrifying speed, with a focus on all states.”

“The country is taking its energy generation capabilities to a new height,” he said, linking electricity to development.

From Banswara, PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore. Of this, Rs 1.8 lakh crore is earmarked for Rajasthan as part of strengthening infrastructure, employment, and welfare, while the remaining projects will benefit Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and other states.

He laid the foundation stone for the Rs 42,000 crore Mahi-Banswara nuclear plant and the foundation stone for 15 drinking water projects across 15 Rajasthan districts, worth Rs 5,884 crore, aimed at providing safe and reliable drinking water.

In a major employment push, the Prime Minister also handed over appointment letters to 15,000 youths for various government positions. The recruitments include 5,778 animal attendants, 4,197 junior assistants, 1,800 junior instructors, 1,464 junior engineers, 1,200 third-grade teachers (Level-2), along with other posts and compassionate appointments.

This was PM Modi’s 16th visit to Rajasthan since the BJP came to power at the Centre.

On the occasion, PM Modi also flagged off three new trains via video conferencing, including the Bikaner–Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat Express, Jodhpur–Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat Express, and the Udaipur City–Chandigarh Express.

The Prime Minister also interacted with beneficiaries of the Kusum Yojana, highlighting the government’s commitment to clean energy and rural empowerment.

Senior leaders, including Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, also joined the event.

The visit is expected to be a landmark occasion for southern Rajasthan, combining energy, infrastructure, and employment initiatives while paying tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s vision of ‘Antyodaya’, which means uplift of the last person in society.

–IANS

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