"Government is committed to development of Lakshadweep": PM Modi

The PM, while addressing a public gathering in Lakshadweep's Agatti said that his government is addressing all the challenges faced by the people of the UT, including health and education.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday affirmed the Central government's commitment to develop Lakshadweep, one of the Union Territories of the country. The PM, while addressing a public gathering in Lakshadweep's Agatti said that his government is addressing all the challenges faced by the people of the UT, including health and education.

"Be it health, education, petrol or diesel, people faced a lot of problems in the past. Our government is now addressing all these challenges... New employment opportunities are being created in many sectors. The Government of India is committed to the development of Lakshadweep," PM Modi said. In a veiled attack on the previous governments at the Centre, the PM said that the UT remained 'neglected' after so many years of independence of the country.

"Lakshadweep is full of many possibilities, but for a long time after independence, not much attention was paid to the infrastructure of Lakshadweep. Even though shipping is the lifeline of this place. But the port infrastructure here has remained weak," he said. PM Modi also said that the ice plant in Agatti will create new possibilities related to seafood processing.

"In the last ten years, many developmental projects have been completed. We have provided modern facilities for our fishermen. Now, Agatti, besides the airport, has an ice plant. It will create new possibilities related to seafood processing. Now, even tuna fish is also being exported, which has opened avenues of increasing income in this region," he added. "I have been told that all the houses in Agatti have received 'Nal se Jal' facility. The government is trying to provide houses, toilets, electricity, and gas to the poor," he further said.

The PM was speaking after laying the foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 1,150 crore in Agatti. The PM inaugurated the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI - SOFC) project in a move to resolve the challenge of slow internet speed in the Union Territory.

He also inaugurated the Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plant at Kadmat, which will produce 1.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water every day, and the Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) in all households of Agatti and Minicoy islands. Other projects that were dedicated to the nation include the solar power plant at Kavaratti, which is the first-ever battery-backed solar power project of Lakshadweep.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the renovation of the Health Care facility in Kalpeni and the construction of five model Anganwadi Centres (Nand Ghars) in the five islands of Androth, Chetlat, Kadmat, Agatti and Minicoy. (ANI)

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