ITANAGAR, 16 Jun: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday hailed the 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led central government, asserting that the period brought unprecedented changes in India’s global image, economic growth and infrastructure development, with the Northeast emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Addressing a press conference here, Khandu said India has risen from the 11th to the fourth-largest economy in the world since 2014, and is on course to become the third-largest economy.
He also credited the Centre for transforming connectivity and development in Arunachal Pradesh and the Northeast.
“We have seen many prime ministers since iondependence, but what the country has witnessed in the last 12 years is unimaginable,” Khandu said.
Under Modi’s leadership, India earned greater global recognition and respect, while its culture and the diaspora gained prominence across the world, the CM said.
Referring to the PM’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, Khandu said the country is moving steadily towards becoming one of the world’s top economies.
He also highlighted welfare initiatives launched by the Centre for women and youth empowerment.
Khandu said infrastructure and connectivity have seen rapid expansion over the past decade, with major investments in roads, railways, aviation and digital networks.
The Northeast has undergone a “tremendous transformation” over the last 12 years, he said.
He pointed to the expansion of airports across the region and described the development of Arunachal’s first greenfield airport in Hollongi, now named Donyi Polo Airport, as a landmark achievement.
The chief minister recalled that the project was sanctioned in 2019 and completed in “record time” before being inaugurated by Modi in 2022.
On railway development, he said Arunachal has been connected to the national rail network under the Modi government, and that railway infrastructure is being expanded rapidly.
He said railway lines are progressing towards Pasighat and other parts of the state, while surveys for a strategic railway link extending to Tawang arealso underway.
Khandu said the healthcare sector, too, has witnessed significant progress.
Arunachal, which once had no medical college, now has its first medical college, with student intake having increased from 50 to 100 seats, the CM said.
Another medical college is expected to become operational soon in Namsai district under the public-private partnership mode, he said.
Khandu said the Centre’s focus on infrastructure, healthcare and inclusive development has accelerated Arunachal’s growth and helped integrate the frontier state more closely with the rest of the country. (PTI)