Vindhya & Bundelkhand wallowed in apathy since independence: PM

VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a veiled attack on Congress, accusing it of pushing Vindhyachal into the blind spot of development since independence, despite the region being rich in natural resources.
While virtually launching the Rs 5555-crore piped water supply project in Sonbhadra and Mirzapur, Modi said, Vindhya and Bundelkhand regions were wallowing in ‘abhaav’ (shortage) for decades.“Though blessed with rivers, these twin regions were tagged drought-prone, forcing women to travel miles to fetch water and triggering a mass exodus,” Modi said, after kicking off 23 piped water schemes at a digital event at Ghaghraul dam near remote Karmao village of Sonbhadra.
He said, the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, which would benefit 42 lakh people of the region, is aimed at building self-reliance. Modi categorically insisted that the poor and tribals were not given priority till BJP came to power in 2014.
Citing how the scheme helped 2.60 crore families across India to receive piped drinking water, he said, “It’s a matter of time when 41 lakh people in 3,000 villages will receive tap water in their homes, which would check diseases like cholera, typhoid, encephalitis,” the PM said. At least 1,600 villages of Mirzapur and 1,389 villages of Sonbhadra will benefit from the project, which is pegged at Rs 2,343 crore and Rs 3,212.18 crore respectively, complementing the ‘Atal Bhoojal Yojana’, he added.