Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid foundation stones and dedicated to the nation development projects worth more than Rs 4850 crore at Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The projects include the dedication of NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute in Silvassa, and foundation stones of 96 projects such as government schools, Government Engineering College in Daman; and  beautification, strengthening and widening of various roads and other projects in the region.

The Prime Minister also handed over house-keys to beneficiaries of PMAY Urban from Diu and Silvassa.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed his happiness about the development of Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He noted the growing cosmopolitanism of Silvassa as it is home to people from every corner of the country. He said the government is working with full dedication for the development of the Union Territory.

Mr Modi said in the last few years, a lot of work has been done on the physical and social infrastructure in the UT with an allocation of Rs 5500 crores. He talked about LED-lit streets, door-to-door waste collection and 100 per cent waste processing.

He praised the new Industrial Policy as a means to increase industry and employment in the UT. “Today I got the opportunity to start fresh projects of Rs 5000 crore.” he said. These projects are related to health, housing, tourism, education and urban development. “They will improve ease of living, tourism, transportation and business,” he added.

The Prime Minister lamented the fact that for large periods of time, the government projects for the development of the country either remained stuck, were abandoned or led astray, sometimes to the extent that the foundation stone itself would turn to debris and the projects remained incomplete.

But in the last nine years, the Prime Minister emphasized that a new working style has been developed and a work culture has been introduced. He underlined that the present government strives to complete the projects on time, and also moves on to other development work immediately after completion. The Prime Minister said the projects launched on Tuesday are an example of this work culture and congratulated everyone for the development works.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the central government is moving with the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas”. He said that the balanced development of every region is a huge priority. The Prime Minister criticised a long-running tendency of viewing development from the prism of vote bank politics. This led to the deprivation of tribal and border areas. Fishermen were left to their fate and Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli paid a heavy price for this, said the Prime Minister.