COUNTERING THE Opposition's attack on rising unemployment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated projects worth over Rs 29,000 crore in Mumbai on Saturday, said that every infrastructure project leads to job creation, and the increased pace of infrastructure development has led to increased employment generation. This was Modi's first visit to the city since his re-election last month. Among other projects, he laid the foundation stone for two underground twin tunnel projects. “With the construction of every bridge, road or manufacturing of railway coaches, someone gets a job. With the increasing pace of infrastructure development, employment generation is also increasing, and with higher investment, these opportunities will increase further,” he said. Saying that Maharashtra has propagated cultural, social and national consciousness in the country, Modi added: “We have to remember that goodwill (sadbhaav) and harmony (sauhard) are intrinsic to the path to prosperity (samruddhi).” Accusing the Opposition of creating a false narrative, he cited a recent report released by the Reserve Bank of India which said almost 8 crore jobs had been created in the last three-four years. “With these projects which are worth about Rs 30,000 crore, employment opportunities will also be created in Maharashtra. Only two-three months back, the Central Government gave clearance for Vadhavan port. This project, which is close to over Rs 76,000 crore, will create employment opportunities for over 10 lakh people,” he said. “I had said that in the third term of the NDA government, we will work at thrice the pace. And today, we are watching this happen. Maharashtra has a glorious history, empowered present and dreams of a prosperous future. It has a strong role to play in Viksit Bharat. It has the power of industry, agriculture as well as the finance sector. This power has made Mumbai the financial capital. With this power, I have a goal to make Maharashtra a financial powerhouse of the world and make Mumbai the fintech capital of the world,” he said. Besides creating employment, the projects will improve connectivity in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, he said. These include the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) and the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel Project, for which he performed the “bhoomi pujan” on Saturday. The two projects are together valued at nearly Rs 23,000 crore. Pegged at Rs 16,600.40 crore, the 11.8 km-long Thane Borivali Twin Tunnel Project, which is being executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is slated to be India's longest and largest urban tunnel. It will reduce the distance between Thane and Borivali to 12 km. Executed by the BMC, the entire GMLR will be 12.2 km long, while the twin tunnels will measure 4.7 km each. The GMLR tunnel will connect Film City, inside the Aarey Forest in the western suburbs, with Khindi Panda at Bhandup in the eastern suburbs. Modi also laid the foundation stones for remodelling of the Kalyan yard, which is pegged at over Rs 800 crore, and construction of the Gati Shakti multimodal cargo terminal at Turbhe worth Rs 27 crore. He also inaugurated the Rs 5,600 crore Mukhyamantri Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana, an internship programme which seeks to provide employment to the youth. Further, a new platform at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) as well as extended platforms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus were also inaugurated. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were among those present at the event at Goregaon's NESCO centre. “The double-engine Mahayuti has been working hard over the past two years to remove the speed-breakers introduced by the previous government,” Shinde said. Listing his government's welfare schemes, he said they would win the state Assembly elections due later this year. “The idea (of the infrastructure projects) is that one can go from one corner of the city to another within 60 minutes. The face of the city will change, and the entire credit goes to the Mahayuti sarkar,” said Fadnavis. “Under Modi's prime ministership, the government will undertake many more infrastructural projects in the country,” said Ajit Pawar.
