Madhubani, April 24 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making his first public address in Bihar, after the dastardly terror attacks in J&K’s Pahalgam, observed a two-minute silence for the victims and paid tributes to them.
PM Modi said that the nation is united in expressing grief for the victims, who lost lives in the cowardly act of terror. He called on the public to observe a moment of silence for the lives lost in the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists, on Tuesday.
“Before I begin my speech, I would like to request all of you to observe a moment of silence, to pay tribute to the families we lost in terror attacks on April 22,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi said this while addressing a public rally in Bihar's Madhubani district, to mark National Panchayati Raj Day and launch an array of development projects worth over Rs 13,480 crore.
"Today, on Panchayati Raj Day, the entire nation is connected with Bihar and Mithila. Several developmental projects worth thousands of crores, including in electricity and railways, have been inaugurated here," PM Modi said.
Drawing a historical parallel, he added, "Bihar is the land where Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) began his Satyagraha. His belief was clear: India's development lies in the development of its villages. This is the essence of Panchayati Raj."
Highlighting achievements in rural governance, the Prime Minister said over 2 lakh Panchayats have been connected to the internet in the past decade, enabling digital access to essential documents such as birth and death certificates and property records.
"After several decades of independence, India has seen the construction of a new Parliament building, and many villages have received new Panchayat buildings as well. The government prioritized the allocation of appropriate funds to the Panchayats. In the last ten years, over Rs 2 lakh crore have been allocated to the Panchayats, which has been used for the development of villages," he said.
PM Modi also emphasised the digitalisation of land records to resolve long-standing land disputes at the village level.
At the event, the Prime Minister presented the National Panchayat Awards to the best-performing Panchayats across the country.
He laid the foundation stone of a Rs 340 crore LPG bottling plant in Hathua, Gopalganj, to improve regional gas distribution.
In the power sector, he launched new projects worth Rs 1,170 crore and inaugurated existing ones under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme worth over Rs 5,030 crore.
Rail connectivity received a significant boost with the flagging off of the Amrit Bharat Express between Saharsa and Mumbai and the launch of the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Jaynagar and Patna.
New train services between Pipra-Saharsa and Saharsa-Samastipur were also inaugurated. Other rail projects included the dedication of the Khagaria-Alauli line, the inauguration of Supaul-Pipra and Hasanpur-Bithan lines, and two new rail overbridges at Chapra and Bagaha.
Further, PM Modi distributed Rs 930 crore under the Community Investment Fund to over 2 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Bihar under the DAY-NRLM scheme.
Under PMAY-Gramin, he handed over sanction letters to 15 lakh new beneficiaries, released instalments for 10 lakh beneficiaries nationwide, and marked Grih Pravesh for 1 lakh PMAY-G and 54,000 PMAY-U homes in Bihar.
This mega event comes against the backdrop of the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
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