Need of hour is to use petro products with restraint: PM Modi
HYDERABAD, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the need of the hour, in the wake of the West Asia crisis, is to use petro products with restraint. Speaking at an event here where he virtually laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth around Rs 9,400 crore in Telangana, Modi said that the imported petro products should be used only as per need, as it will not only save foreign exchange but also reduce the adverse impact of war. Observing that, over the past few years, India has reached a spot among the top countries in the world in terms of solar power, he said, unprecedented work has been done in ethanol blending in petrol. First, the government is focused on 100 per cent LPG coverage, and now, it is focused on the supply of piped gas economically. The government is also promoting a CNG-based system. Due to all these efforts, India is dealing with the major energy crisis in the world, he said. “But, today, the need of the hour is also to use petrol, gas, diesel and such things with great restraint. We have to use imported petro products only as per need. This will not only save foreign exchange but reduce the adverse impact of war,” he said. Referring to CM Revanth Reddy’s comments that there should not be politics in development endeavour, Modi said he would also not talk politics. Assuring Centre’s support to Telangana, he asked Reddy to join him in the development journey. “I would tell Revanth ji. I am ready to give you as much as the Centre gave to Gujarat during 10 years rule. But, as per my information, I will tell you. The moment I do that, what you are getting would become half. You will not be able to reach where you want to reach. That’s why, it is better you join with me,” he said. Noting that it is not wrong to have different party governments in a democracy, he stressed that the development of states is as important as the country’s development. Country’s development is not possible without the development of states, he stressed, calling for collective efforts to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. He also said the country is implementing reforms at speed, and is also building modern infrastructure. He said he would like to assure every family in Telangana that the Centre will continue to work “with greater speed to realise your dreams”. Modi said, over the last 11 years, the National Highway network in Telangana has doubled. Taking a jab at the previous UPA government, he said, before 2014, the railway budget used to be less than Rs 1,000 crore for undivided Andhra Pradesh. However, the railway budget today only for Telangana is Rs 5,500 crore, he said. “Are you listening Revanth ji? During the undivided AP, the railway budget was less than Rs 1,000 crore. I am not talking about undivided AP today, Telangana’s railway budget alone is Rs 5,500 crore,” he said. About Rs 50,000 crore worth of railway projects are going on in Telangana, he said. Earlier, in his address, CM Revanth Reddy said the Centre should support the state’s development initiatives, including expansion of metro rail network, Future City project and Musi rejuvenation. He sought two hours from Modi to review the development proposals of Telangana. The state government has announced the Telangana Rising 2047 vision in line with the Centre’s Viksit Bharat 2047 goal, he said. The Telangana government aims to make the state a USD three trillion economy by 2047, Reddy said. During the event, Modi virtually laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth around Rs 9,400 crore in Telangana at the HICC here. Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and several other leaders attended the event at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). Modi laid the foundation for projects, including the four-laning of National Highway-167 from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar on the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor and Zaheerabad Industrial Area in Sangareddy district. He inaugurated various sections of Kazipet-Vijayawada multi-tracking project of railways, Greenfield POL (Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants) Terminal in Hyderabad, Kazipet Rail Under Rail Bypass and PM MITRA Park at Warangal (Kakatiya Mega Textile Park). Developed at an estimated cost of around Rs 1,700 crore, the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park is India’s first fully functional PM MITRA Park and operationalises the Centre’s 5F vision – Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign. (Source: PTI)