PM Narendra Modi dedicates projects worth Rs 5,860 crore to Rajkot

Moreover, he laid foundation of AMUL-fed dairy plant at Gadhka, the construction of an indoor sports complex in Rajkot, two water supply projects and other projects in the roads and railways sector.

Addressing the gathering in Rajkot, the Prime Minister said this is the time of the year when new resolutions are taken and new beginnings are made. At a time, some projects related to the development of Kathiawar including Rajkot have been completed today and some new projects have started. These projects related to connectivity, industry, water, and public facilities are going to make life easier here.

He observed that of the six places in the country, Rajkot is one of the Light House projects and 1144 houses constructed with the latest technology are being dedicated today. He also handed over keys to beneficiaries the project.

The joy of handing over hundreds of poor families of Rajkot to the best houses made with modern technology before Diwali is something else, he said, adding, “I would especially congratulate the sisters who became the owners of these houses and wish that this Diwali, Lakshmi resides in this new house of yours".

He also recalled that “Rajkot kept on teaching me and I kept on learning. Rajkot was my first school."

In the last eight years, the Prime Minister said, more than 3 crore pucca houses have been handed over to the poor in villages and cities of the country. Of these, 10 lakh pucca houses have been approved for the poor in the cities of Gujarat and 7 lakh have been already completed.

“The Central government has given about 11,000 crore rupees to lakhs of middle-class families in Gujarat for their own homes. Not only this, workers who come for work in cities should also get better houses with less rent. Work is going on at a rapid pace on this scheme”, he said.

On the Light  House project of Rajkot, he said that it is model that can be emulated.“Today, Gujarat has not only got more than 1100 houses made with modern technology, but it is also great news for lakhs of poor families who are going to get pucca houses in future”, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that beyond roads, bazaars, malls, and plazas, urban life also has another responsibility. “For the first time, our government has understood the responsibility of the street vendors. For the first time, we have connected them to the bank. Today these colleagues are also getting easy loans through Svanidhi scheme and they can think of expanding their business. These vendors are giving strength to Digital India through digital transactions."

Noting the number of MSMEs in Rajkot, the Prime Minister said the city has a great reputation as an industrial city and as a hotbed of MSMEs. Pumps, machines and tools are all made in Rajkot.

“In the last two decades”, he said,  “the export of engineering-related things from Rajkot has exceeded Rs 5000 crore.”

He also noted that the number of factories has more than doubled and the number of workers has also increased manifold. Due to the entire ecosystem, thousands of  people have  got employment here.

PM Modi mentioned that ceramic tiles from Morbi are famous all over the world. “More than 13 percent of the world's ceramics are produced in Morbi alone”, he said.

A ceramics park is being built in Morbi with an investment of Rs 15,000 crore.

Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel; Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri; Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore: former governor of Gujarat Vajubhai Vala; former Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani were among those present on the occasion.

Speaking at the Felicitation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) Awards 2021 in Rajkot today, Puri said that around 64 lakh houses have been completed and delivered under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U).

As many as 1.23 crore houses have been sanctioned under the scheme that translates to almost nine times the number that was achieved in the 10 years of the previous regime from 2004 - 2014.

Of these, "As many as 64 lakh houses have already been completed and delivered and the balance are in various stages of completion," he said.

Puri also added that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) is a perfect example of the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism, with all the states participating enthusiastically in ensuring its success.

Uttar Pradesh was declared the best-performing state followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

He said that besides having the full power to appraise and approve the housing projects, all states have also had a healthy competition to secure the top spot. The ultimate winner has been the people, and that too, those belonging to the vulnerable and economically weaker sections, the minister said.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) is the government's flagship scheme being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) that aims to address urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories, including the slum dwellers, by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households.