Govt tracked and implemented projects worth Rs 12 lakh cr "lying in ditch": PM

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday slammed the work culture prevailing under the previous government and said that after 2014 his government tracked and expeditiously implemented projects worth Rs 12 lakh crore which were "lying in a ditch" or "consigned to files".

Addressing a rally in state capital Imphal, he alleged that under the earlier government projects worth Rs 100 crore used to be completed at an escalated cost of Rs 200-250 crore, and this misuse of national wealth made him impatient.

So, Modi said, he developed a system named "Pragati" in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in which pending projects were discussed with officials of the Centre and the state and after removing impediments were speeded up for completion within the given time frame.

He said that after coming to power in 2014 his government tracked and expeditiously implemented projects worth Rs 12 lakh crore which were "lying in a ditch" or "consigned to files".

The prime minister inaugurated eight key development projects and laid foundation stones for four schemes in the state.

"The 'atke-latke-bhatke' (pending and forgotten) work culture prevailing during the previous government created a big loss for the country," Modi claimed.

He claimed that earlier elections used to be won merely by "laying foundation stones" and "cutting ribbons" somewhere, and giving rewards elsewhere.

He said that after assuming power in 2014, he felt "bechain" (impatient) about this and made an attempt to change the work culture.

Modi said he developed a system in the PMO in which pending projects were discussed with officials of the centre and the state and after removing impediments were speeded up for completion within the given time frame.

Invoking Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, he said that Manipur, where the INA led by Bose had formed the first provincial government of Independent India, will now show a way to the New India.

Governments for the last 30-40 years had kept Manipur far away from the benefits of development, the PM alleged.

"I am happy to be here where unity prevails among diversity", he said. Manipur has a BJP government since March, 2017.

He lauded the role of women in the state since the freedom movement and also praised the achievements of ace boxer Mary Kom.

The prime minister said the projects which he had inaugurated were expected to improve the lives of the people in the state. "Go to hills and villages of the state. You will find the Manipur government has reached the far-flung areas," he said.

In the northeastern region, the government has built 2,500 km of national highways and 300 km in Manipur alone in last four years, he said.

"My government's policy is transformation by transportation. All the state capitals of northeast states will be linked by the railways," he said.

Chandel district of Manipur is among the top 100 aspirational districts of the country in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he said.