‘Congress ignored energy needs’: In Rajasthan, PM launches major power projects, highlights electrification gains

“At the time, people used to joke that electricity getting cut off was not news, but it being restored was,” the Prime Minister said at the event.

He said the absence of electricity hindered factory operations and the establishment of new industries, affecting states like Rajasthan as well as the whole country. He claimed that in 2014, his government resolved to change the situation, and that since then, electricity was delivered to every village, with 2.5 crore households receiving free connections.

Modi highlighted the various energy schemes of his government and announced the launch of power projects worth over Rs 90,000 crore across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. He said the simultaneous initiation of such large-scale projects reflects India’s accelerating progress in the energy sector.

Projects launched

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (ASHVINI) Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (4X700 MW) worth around Rs 42,000 crore. It will be one of the largest nuclear plants in the country.

He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for green energy projects worth Rs 19,210 crore in Rajasthan, and three power transmission projects worth over Rs 13,180 crore under the Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) initiative of the Centre.

Modi inaugurated Feeder Level Solarization projects of 3517 MW, worth over Rs 16,050 crore, in the states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka under the PM-KUSUM Scheme. He laid the foundation stone for major drinking water supply projects, worth over Rs 5,880 crore in Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, etc., under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0.

In a major boost to rail connectivity, the PM also flagged off three trains — the Vande Bharat Express Train between Bikaner and Delhi Cantt, the Vande Bharat Express Train between Jodhpur and Delhi Cantt, and the Udaipur City–Chandigarh Express.

On BJP govt in state

Praising the BJP government in the state, led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Modi said, “Our government is working to heal the wounds inflicted by Congress’s looting of Rajasthan. Under the Congress government, Rajasthan had become a centre of paper leaks. Congress also sacrificed the Jal Jeevan Mission to corruption. Atrocities against women were rampant, and rapists were protected. Under Congress rule, crime and the illegal liquor trade flourished in areas like Banswara, Dungarpur, and Pratapgarh.”

Under the Sharma government, however, PM said law and order has been strengthened and the pace of development accelerated.

Modi also accused the Congress party of ignoring the tribal community, saying that it never understood their needs. “It is the BJP government that prioritised tribal welfare and created a separate ministry. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to power, the Tribal Ministry was established for the first time. So many decades had passed before that, so many great leaders had been born, but a separate ministry for tribals had not been established. It was established only when Atalji came to power under the BJP government. During the Congress regime, no one could have imagined such large projects would come to tribal areas,” the PM said.

He also said that it was through the efforts of their party that the daughter of a poor tribal family, Droupadi Murmu, became the President of India.

Noting that it is Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary, the PM said it was Upadhyaya who gave the nation the principle of Antyodaya — upliftment of the person standing on the last rung of society. The PM said that Upadhyaya’s vision has now become the government’s mission.

The PM said, “When the lives of ordinary citizens become easier, they step forward to lead the nation’s progress. You may remember that 11 years ago, during the Congress regime, conditions were so bad. Why were they so bad? Because the Congress government was engaged in exploiting the countrymen, looting the people of the country. During Congress’s tenure, both taxes and inflation were skyrocketing. When you blessed Modi, our government put an end to Congress’s looting.”

‘GST festival’

He also spoke of the recent GST regime, saying that it resulted in the celebration of a GST Savings Festival across India.

The PM claimed that before 2014, spending Rs 100 on daily essentials like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and tooth powder resulted in a total cost of Rs 131 due to high taxation under the Congress government. With the implementation of GST in 2017, the same Rs 100 worth of goods cost Rs 118, marking a direct saving of Rs 13 under the BJP government, he said. Following the GST reforms introduced on September 22, the cost has further reduced to Rs 105, resulting in a total saving of Rs 26 compared to the previous dispensation era, the PM said.

He also highlighted the goal of a self-reliant India, urging people to sell and buy “swadeshi” goods. He encouraged citizens to declare, “This is swadeshi,” and remarked that when people buy swadeshi products, the money stays within the country and reaches local artisans, workers, and traders.

Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagade, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, among others, were present at the event.

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