Highways to welfare funds: Four poll-bound states get infra boost

NEW DELHI: Investments on infrastructure projects ranging from fishing harbours to highways and metro rail networks, a welfare fund for tea garden workers and Thiruvalluvar in finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech underscored the Centre’s focus on states headed for elections in the coming months. Assembly elections are due by April -May in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, along with the UT of Puducherry. The BJP is sparing no effort wo win West Bengal and Puducherry, at least improve its position in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and retain power in Assam.

The BJP is paying special attention to these states, especially West Bengal, the state with the third largest representation in the Lok Sabha with 42 seats.

‘’Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark,’’ Sitharaman quoted from Tagore to emphasize how India is well poised to be a land of promise and hope in a world that is battling to end the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. And for good measure, she also quoted Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar: “A king/ruler is the one who creates and acquires wealth, protects and distributes it for common good.”. .

Among the projects she unveiled for the poll-bound states were 675 km of highways in West Bengal worth ₹25,000 crore; more than 1,300 kms of highways valued at ₹34,000 crore in Assam, where work is already in progress on roads worth ₹19,000 crore; and 1,100 km of highways in Kerala with an investment of ₹65,000 crore .