CDS General Bipin Rawat’s work to strengthen border infra, national security will continue: PM Modi

Rawat’s passing away is “a great loss to every nationalist in the country”, Modi said.

“In the coming days, General Rawat will see his nation move forward with a new resolve. Be it increasing security at the country’s borders, strengthening border infrastructure, campaign to make the forces self-reliant, or increasing coordination between the three forces, (his work) will continue with full force,” he said. Though the nation is in mourning and bearing the pain, it will not affect the speed or progress of the work, he said.

The prime minister was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Saryu Nehar National Project in Balrampur where he also highlighted the achievements of the “double engine” government of BJP at the Centre and the state in Uttar Pradesh. This resulted in execution of several long-pending projects including the Baan Sagar project, Arjun Sahayak Irrigation project, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and fertiliser plant in Gorakhpur, he said.

Talking about the irrigation project, Modi said when work on it was initiated, its cost was less than ₹ 100 crore. But, he alleged, due to negligence of previous governments, “the nation has had to pay 100 times the original price” and the project has finally been completed with a cost of ₹10,000 crore.

“If it is government money, then why should I care? This thinking had become the biggest obstacle in the balanced and all-round development of the country,” the prime minister said. “This thinking also kept the Saryu canal project hanging… We have done more work in the Saryu canal project in five years than what was done in five decades.”

Modi also said doctors are trying their best to save the life of group captain Varun Singh – the lone survivor of the Indian Air Force chopper crash near Coonoor.