PM Modi says there were conspiracies to defame Gujarat, stop investment: Report

"While Gujarat was dealing with natural calamities one after the other, there were conspiracies hatched to defame Gujarat in the country and the world. Repeated attempts were made to stop investment coming to Gujarat," PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said there have been conspiracies to defame Gujarat and stop investments to Gujarat, but the state ignored them and charted a new path of progress. PM Modi was addressing a rally after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of development works in Kutch district ahead of Gujarat elections slated later this year.

Addressing the rally, PM Modi said he can clearly visualise that in spite of many deficiencies now, India will be a developed nation by 2047. The PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth about Rs 4,400 crore in Bhuj, including Kutch branch canal of the Sardar Sarovar project, new automatic milk processing and packing plant of Sarhad Dairy, Regional Science Centre at Bhuj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Convention Centre at Gandhidham, Veer Bal Smarak at Anjar and Bhuj 2 substation at Nakhatrana.

"While Gujarat was dealing with natural calamities one after the other, there were conspiracies hatched to defame Gujarat in the country and the world. Repeated attempts were made to stop investment coming to Gujarat," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said that Gujarat ignored all efforts to defame it, defied the conspiracies and the state charted a new industrial new path of progress.

"After the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, in the midst of the destruction, I had spoken about redevelopment of Kutch and we worked hard for it. In that hour of challenge, we had proclaimed that we will turn disaster into an opportunity and we achieved it. Today, you are witnessing the results," PM Modi said.

He said Gujarat became the first state in India to enact the Disaster Management Act. "After drawing inspiration from this Act, a similar law was made for the whole country. This Act helped every government in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.

Highlighting the incredible work done since Kutch's devastation in 2001, PM Modi said the Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachch University was formed in 2003 and more than 35 new colleges have also been established.

He also talked about earthquake-proof district hospitals and more than 200 functional clinics in the area, and said every household gets clean water of the holy Narmada river, a far cry from those days of scarcity.

(With inputs from PTI)