The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone, inaugurated, and dedicated to the nation development projects worth over Rs 54 billion in Durgapur, West Bengal today. Addressing the gathering, he highlighted Durgapur’s identity as a Steel City and a key hub of India’s labour force, recognising its vital contribution to the nation’s growth. Shri Modi emphasised that the projects will enhance regional connectivity, support gas-based transport and economy, and reinforce Durgapur’s steel industry stature. He noted these initiatives align with the “Make in India, Make for the World” vision, expected to propel West Bengal’s progress and generate numerous employment opportunities for local youth.

The Prime Minister reflected on India’s transformative journey towards becoming a developed nation, driven by infrastructure development in social, physical, and digital sectors. He cited achievements including over 40 million pucca houses for the poor, millions of toilets, more than 120 million tap water connections, thousands of kilometres of new roads and highways, expanded railway lines, new airports in smaller towns, and widespread internet coverage reaching every village and household. He affirmed that West Bengal is benefiting from modern infrastructure, noting its leading role in operating Vande Bharat trains and the rapid expansion of the Kolkata Metro, alongside new rail lines, track doubling, electrification, station modernisation, and construction of numerous rail overbridges. Two new railway overbridges were inaugurated in West Bengal during the event, further easing travel and safety for the public.

Shri Modi also mentioned that the region’s airport has been integrated into the UDAN scheme, with over 500,000 passengers travelling through it in the past year. He underscored how infrastructure projects generate employment opportunities, including in raw material production.

Highlighting India’s progress in gas connectivity over the past decade, the Prime Minister noted LPG has reached households nationwide, gaining global recognition. He detailed the government’s “One Nation, One Gas Grid” vision and the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana, under which gas pipelines are being laid across six eastern states, including West Bengal. The aim is to supply affordable piped gas to industries and homes, enabling vehicles to run on CNG and industries to adopt gas-based technologies. Durgapur’s industrial area has joined the National Gas Grid, set to benefit nearly 30 million households with affordable gas, improving lives and creating thousands of jobs.

The Prime Minister announced that major steel and power plants in Durgapur and Raghunathpur have been modernised with new technology following an investment of approximately Rs 15 billion. These upgrades make the plants more efficient and globally competitive. He congratulated the people of Bengal on this achievement.

Shri Modi reaffirmed India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, driven by empowerment through development, self-reliance through employment, and good governance through responsiveness. He concluded that West Bengal will be a strong engine in India’s development journey.