GANDHINAGAR, April 20: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that the tribal-dominated district of Dahod in Gujarat would soon have a Rs 20,000 crore railway workshop for electric locomotive engine and would contribute to Make in India flagship.
Addressing an Adivasi Mahasammelan (Tribal Convention) in Dahod during a two-day visit to his home state, the Prime Minister said, “It was my dream to see that the railway workshop here was taken to new heights.” Modi said India was now one of the few countries in the world that make powerful 9,000 horsepower locomotives. “This new factory will provide employment to thousands of youth and increase the scope of newer factories in the area. A new Dahod will be established.” he added.
A 17.98 lakh square feet “completely fireproof” dome, “the biggest in Asia”, was constructed in Dahod for Modi to address the Mahasammelan to beat the afternoon summer heat.
The district administration in a release said, “The dome erected for the event is 600 metres long and 132 feet wide and does not have a single visible pier of support… Arrangements have been made for drinking water as well as fire safety keeping in mind the crowd expected at the event.” The Dahod district administration on Monday said it had “sent personalised door-to-door invites to all residents” to attend the Mahasammelan
Tribal populations from adjoining districts of Mahisagar, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahals, and Vadodara were brought in to attend the convention. District Development Officer Neha Kumari said for security and law and order, 3000 police personnel were deployed.
Addressing different gatherings in his home state, Modi announced that the Centre would soon introduce a special Ayush visa category for foreign nationals who want to come to India to take advantage of traditional medicine, as part of initiatives to promote medical tourism.
“With this visa, it will make travel easier for accessing Ayush therapies (in India),” said Modi while speaking at the inaugural session of the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit 2022 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. He added that the Centre has a plethora of initiatives to encourage and promote the Ayush sector, including the establishment of a digital portal to connect medicinal plant farmers with Ayush product manufacturers.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday also attacked the Opposition for “neglecting” the tribal freedom fighters. “Real freedom fighters were buried in the pages of history in first 70 years of Independence,” he said. “Today we have constructed a massive museum for Birsa Munda in Ranchi, Jharkhand. But I want to tell the people of Dahod that their contribution in the uprising in Mangadh gave the British soldiers a tough fight. One cannot forget Govind Guru. There was no area in Dahod where tribals did not pick up their bow and arrow and fight,” the PM added.
He also said, “When I was CM, tribal areas did not have science classes. How would my tribal girls and boys become engineers and doctors? So, I created science classes. Now there are medical colleges in tribal areas; children from tribal areas are going abroad. This is the path to development that we have created.”
Stressing on the issue of equal opportunity for women in the field of development in the area, Modi said, “You have to make the strength of your mothers and sisters the centre of your road to development.” “When there is a water crisis, the first person to be troubled is a mother… So for over 6 crore tribal families in India, we have undertaken the Nal se Jal project. We will implement this even for the 5 lakh tribal population of Gujarat,” he added.
He also said, “I am proud that many tribal women and girls from Gujarat, who haven’t even studied until class 7 have their eyes sparkling when they speak of the benefits that they have reaped from natural farming. Few years ago, Dahod was known as the Phulwadi due to it’s flower farming and the flowers from here went to temples in Mumbai… ”
Modi also urged the tribals to create 75 ponds to conserve rainwater in each tribal district to mark the 75 years Amrutmahotsav. “If you make 75 ponds in each tribal district, and promise me that you will because I trust you will, we will be able to celebrate a water festival, eliminate water crisis from tribal areas,” he said.
(Manas Dasgupta)