Centre working to uplift all sections of people in J'khand: PM

Inaugurating a slew of projects, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday the NDA government has taken several development initiatives in Jharkhand in the past four-and-a-half years for the uplift of all sections of society.

The Hazaribag visit was another occasion to continue the development work, he said.

"Three medical colleges have been inaugurated in Dumka, Palamu and Hazaribag. The state had just three such colleges so far. Now with the addition of three more, students won't have to travel far to study medicine. Also, people can avail medical facilities at ease," he said.

Talking about the gift milk scheme, which he inaugurated here prior to his speech, Modi said the initiative will improve the nutritional standards of children in government schools.

The prime minister also congratulated the farmers on receiving financial assistance to buy smart phones.

"The farmers can now get regular updates on climate, learn about modern farming techniques and find out about government initiatives," he said.

Modi also said that health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY of the central government has benefitted more than 57,000 people in the state.

"Jharkhand has witnessed the launch of Ayushman Bharat health scheme last year. Lakhs of families across the country have benefitted from the scheme, including 57,000 people in Jharkhand," he stated.

Modi asserted that the central government has been taking initiatives to supply clean drinking water to all homes in Jharkhand.

"Health is directly related to cleanliness and sanitation. In the last four-and-a-half years, the Centre has spent thousands of crores (of rupees) to launch 350 projects for supplying clean drinking water. Today, I have laid foundation of 11 such projects to ensure that people receive clean water," he maintained.

The prime minister, who inaugurated a women's engineering college in Ramgarh, said the institute was the first-of-its-kind in Jharkhand.

He also launched a centre of tribal studies at Acharya Vinoba Bhave University here.

Jharkhand has two dozen Eklavya schools, a modern residential school for tribal students, and work was on to set up 70 more, he said.

Modi also paid tribute to Vijay Soreng, the CRPF personnel from the state who was killed along with 39 others in the Pulwama terrorist attack last week, and said that the Centre would look after the families of the slain jawans.

Jharkhand has seen many revolutions over the years and grown from strength to strength, he added.