Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with local taxpayers, traders, and industry representatives in Arunachal Pradesh and discussed with them the benefits of the newly implemented reduced Goods and Services (GST) rates. Attending the ‘GST Bachat Utsav’ event in Itanagar, the Prime Minister was seen talking to various artisans, industry leaders in the state. He also interacted with local shop owners who trade in local goods, packaged milk and food stuff. The PM on Sunday hailed the GST reforms and called the time a festival of savings “GST Bachat Utsav”.

He also urged people to buy and flaunt ‘Made in India’ (Swadeshi) products, adding that people should proudly say, “Garv se Kaho Yeh Swadeshi Hai.”

PM Modi in Arunachal Pradesh

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,100 crore at Itanagar during the event. 

The PM also laid the foundation stone of two major hydropower projects worth over Rs 3,700 crore have l, namely the Tato-I Hydro Electric Project (186 MW) which will be developed in the Siyom sub-basin of Arunachal Pradesh. Another key project is the state-of-the-art Convention Center at Tawang. Located at over 9,820 feet in the frontier district of Tawang, the centre will serve as a landmark facility to host national and international conferences, cultural festivals, and exhibitions.

With a capacity to host over 1,500 delegates, the Center will meet global standards and support the tourism and cultural potential of the region, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

After concluding the programme here, he will visit Tripura and perform Pooja and Darshan and inaugurate development work of ‘Mata Tripura Sundari Temple Complex’ at Matabari.

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‘Visited Northeast over 70 times after becoming PM’

PM Modi said the previous government neglected the northeast and hardly anybody would come to visit the region. However, he said, since he has become the PM, things have changed.

“During the Congress government, a minister would hardly visit the northeast, and that would be once every 2-3 months. During our government, central ministers have visited the northeast more than 800 times… When our ministers visit, they strive to go to far-reaching districts and villages… As a Prime Minister, I have come to the northeast more than 70 times… North East mujhe dil se pasand hai, aur isliye humne dil ki doori mitaai hai aur Dilli ko apke pas leke aye hain,” he said.

He said that with launch of GST reforms on first day of Navratri, people will receive ‘true double bonanza’ this festive season. The Prime Minister further said that Arunachal Pradesh got Rs 1 lakh crore from Centre in last 10 yrs, which he claimed is “16 times more than what it got during Congress rule.”

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“We regard all eight Northeastern states as forms of Goddess Lakshmi. Therefore, we cannot see this region lagging in development. The central government is spending as much as possible on development here. I will give you an example. Some of you may know that a portion of the taxes collected is shared with the states…” he added.

“The BJP government has given Arunachal sixteen times more funds. And this is only from the tax share. In addition, under various schemes, the Government of India is spending separately here. The large-scale projects being developed here are another matter altogether…” the PM said.

He said that in areas where earlier it was impossible even to plan roads, “today good highways are being built. Infrastructure like the Sela Tunnel was unthinkable a few years ago, but today the Sela Tunnel has become the identity of Arunachal…”

He attacked the Congress and said the grand-old party has an habit of avoiding difficult development work. “This approach caused great harm to Arunachal and the entire Northeast,” he said.

“The hilly and forested areas, where development is challenging, were neglected by Congress. Tribal regions and border villages, often called the ‘last villages’ by Congress, were ignored, hiding the party’s failures. This neglect led to continuous migration from these tribal and border areas. Our government, the BJP, changed this approach…Border villages that Congress called ‘last villages’ have now been recognized as the country’s first villages,” PM Modi added.