GUWAHATI, FEB 4: The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal advocated various schemes and initiatives of the Union Budget for FY 2023-24 to secure the social and economic might of the citizens of the country.
Highlighting the Saptarshis for India’s future growth, the Union Minister highlighted core philosophy of the budget which are inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure investment, unleashing the potential, green growth, youth power, and economic development. All of these are crucial elements towards the powering the Amrit Kaal journey of India to become self-sufficient and Atma Nirbhar by 2047, added Sonowal.
Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “This year’s budget is an attempt by the government to secure the social and economic might of the citizens of India. With inclusivity as its core principle, the budget aims at setting the vital
foundation to secure the objective of an Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047 – a vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji. The growth under the leadership of Modi ji has been tremendous and it is due to his innate quality to take the right decision at the right time. From being 10th largest economy when Modi ji assumed Prime Minister’s office in 2014, it is a matter of pride for all of India that we have climbed five spots to become the fifth largest economy in this short duration of time. In order to continue this historic transformation, the budget lays down core principles like inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure investment, unleashing the potential, green growth, youth power, and economic development to lay down the foundation for a robust journey of India during this Amrit Kaal and attain our goal of becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat – self-sufficient India by 2047 – the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji.”
Highlighting the special focus for the development of the Northeast, the senior Cabinet Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the Northeast India has emerged as one of the brightest spots in the country. Dubbed as the new engine of growth for India by Modi ji, the handsome budgetary allocation to various schemes and initiatives for the development of the region is a true reflection of that belief.
The budget allocated to Ministry of DoNER has almost doubled from ₹2755 crores in FY 2022-23 to ₹5892 crores in FY 2023-24. This commitment and love shown to the people of this region by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji will enable our resources to unlock potential to power India’s economic resurgence.”
Responding to the criticism of the opposition parties, Sonowal retorted, “Despite the huge opportunity to govern this wonderful country of ours for more than six decades since independence, the inherent weakness of the Congress party – to have the right policy, to have the proper planning, to have the character – failed & let down the people of the country down. To serve a country like India, one must have national character, which must be built & honed with utmost honesty & dedication, with a clear goal to strengthen, build & serve the nation. It is a matter of great pride that we have a visionary leader in Narendra Modi ji, whose personality reflects all these characters. Given Modi ji’s unflinching commitment towards transformation of the country, the people of the country has witnessed history in the making as India became a bright economic spot in the global economy. Today, we are a nation of strength, pride & confidence.”
India’s Shipping Minister also apprised about the journey of ‘Ganga Vilas’ as it entered Bangladesh. The world’s longest river cruise is set to enter Dhubri in Assam on February 18.
During its course in Assam, the tourists may be visiting at least 8 spots to experience the culture and heritage of Assam. The culmination of this historic cruise, ferrying 32 foreign tourists, is likely on March 1 at Dibrugarh where it will drop anchor.
The Union Minister was also joined by the MP of Dibrugarh & Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Rameshwar Teli; Prashanta Phukan, MLA, Dibrugarh; Rituparna Baruah, Chairman, Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC); Bikul Deka, Chairman, Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL); Jagadish Rajkonwar, President, Dibrugarh District BJP & Ashim Hazarika, Chairman, Dibrugarh Development Authority (DDA).