Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 944 development projects worth ₹5,755 crore across 15 districts of Rajasthan.
The projects were unveiled during an event in Chittorgarh, where Shah also unveiled a 21-foot-tall statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Shah said the statue of Vajpayee had been installed at a cost of more than ₹1.5 crore. He also highlighted Vajpayee’s contribution to national security, infrastructure development and governance.
Shah said Vajpayee followed the principle of “nation first” throughout his political career and never compromised on his principles, whether in government or in opposition.
He recalled that during his tenure as Prime Minister, Vajpayee took several major decisions, including making India a nuclear power and launching the Golden Quadrilateral project to strengthen the country’s road infrastructure. He also highlighted the establishment of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs during Vajpayee’s tenure.
The Home Minister also spoke about the significance of ‘Vande Mataram’, saying that the national song was sung at the Red Fort during this year’s Independence Day celebrations for the first time in 80 years. He said the song had inspired the freedom struggle and accused the opposition of neglecting it for vote-bank politics.
Shah also criticised the opposition over an incident at its Independence Day programme, alleging that a prominent leader had sought to stop the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ midway. He said the people of the country would not accept any attempt to leave the national song incomplete.
Highlighting the government’s initiatives for tribal communities, Shah said the Scheduled Tribe component of the budget had increased from ₹25,000 crore to ₹1.25 lakh crore. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also introduced the observance of Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’.
He further said the government had established museums dedicated to tribal freedom fighters and set up 772 Eklavya Vidyapeeths.
On drinking water supply in Rajasthan, Shah said that when the ‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal’ scheme was launched in the state, only 11 lakh households had access to water connections. He claimed that 64 lakh households had since been provided connections under the initiative.
Shah also praised the Bhajan Lal Sharma government for its development initiatives, particularly measures aimed at addressing water scarcity in the state. He said three major agreements had been signed to improve water availability across Rajasthan.
He said the ‘Rising Rajasthan’ investment summit attracted proposals worth ₹35 lakh crore and resulted in 36 new policies. He also highlighted the creation of 1.78 lakh jobs through job fairs and said LPG cylinders were being provided for less than ₹450 under the state government’s initiatives.
According to Shah, LPG subsidies amounting to ₹1,128 crore have been disbursed so far. He also said the Pradhan Mantri-Mukhyamantri Ayush Arogya Yojana had been extended to 45 lakh people and that the state government had launched the ‘Lado Protsahan Yojana’.
Shah said the Rajasthan government had also launched a campaign to increase green cover across the state.
He expressed confidence that Rajasthan would make significant progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.