Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for Pune Metro projects worth around Rs 21,800 crore through video conferencing, saying improved connectivity would accelerate the city’s growth and make daily life easier.
Extending Diwali greetings to the people of Pune and Maharashtra, the Prime Minister said the newly inaugurated Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar corridor would improve access to a major IT hub, while the new Metro expansion would strengthen links between the city’s older and newer areas.
Describing Pune as a centre of ideas and youth aspirations, PM Modi highlighted its contribution to information technology, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, startups, innovation and manufacturing.
“The strengthening metro connectivity here is going to give new momentum to the development of Pune city,” he said.
PM Modi said modern cities were increasingly assessed by their competitiveness and ease of living. Metro networks, he added, saved commuting time, improved convenience and raised productivity, contributing to economic growth that benefited the poor and middle class.
He said India’s Metro network had expanded to nearly 1,200 km across 26 cities over the past 12 years, serving more than one crore passengers daily and placing it among the world’s top three Metro networks.
In Maharashtra, operational Metro lines had increased from around 10–11 km in 2014 to nearly 175 km, he said. Construction was underway on more than 680 km, involving investment exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
The Prime Minister said this spending was generating employment for labourers and engineers and supporting businesses, shops and factories. He also highlighted the public-private partnership model used to construct the newly inaugurated corridor.
Calling cities major centres of economic activity, PM Modi said hundreds of smaller cities needed to be developed into active growth hubs.
He referred to the Urban Challenge Fund, approved in February with Rs 1 lakh crore in Central assistance, which aims to mobilise wider investment in urban development. He urged local bodies and private sector partners to participate in the initiative.
After sustained investment in rural roads, highways, expressways, railways, tunnels and bridges, the country would increasingly focus on making its cities among the best in the world, he said.
The Prime Minister also linked economic growth with poverty reduction. Citing the latest World Bank report, he said 50 crore Indians had moved out of extreme poverty over the past 10–12 years.
“Earlier, the fight against poverty was only in slogans, today India is defeating poverty on the ground,” he said.
PM Modi said a growing economy and expanding budget allowed greater public investment, while direct delivery of benefits helped curb leakages. Spending on roads, railways, airports, Metros and essential services improved living standards while creating employment, he added.
Housing, toilets, tap water and cooking gas connections had strengthened people’s confidence and saved time that could be used to earn additional income, he said.
Recalling the Garib Kalyan Melas introduced during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, the Prime Minister said empowering people to overcome poverty had remained a guiding principle during his 25 years as the head of a government.
He added that poverty reduction also strengthened the wider economy by creating a new middle class whose purchasing power increased demand for goods and services.
Turning to Maharashtra’s farmers, PM Modi expressed solidarity with families facing hardship because of adverse weather and natural calamities. He referred to water conservation efforts under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, advance assistance from the state government and transfers under PM-KISAN.
“Do not worry at all, we are all with the farmers,” he said.
The Prime Minister urged citizens to remember drought-affected families and others in distress during Diwali and support collective efforts to overcome the difficulties.
He concluded by calling for “Sabka Prayas”, or collective effort, to advance the goal of a developed India.
