PM dangles mega projects in TN, Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated Rs 6,100 crore worth of Kerala projects to the nation at a function, which had obvious political overtones.

The schemes included the Rs 6000 crore petrochemical project at the Cochin Refinery, which he inaugurated, along with Cochin Port Trust's International Cruise Terminal and Cochin Shipyard's Vigyan Sagar, a campus for Marine Engineering Training Institute.

Modi had a clear message for the people of Kerala, reminding them of the substantial allocations made for various projects in the state, where his party BJP is making a serious bid to make inroads into the support base of both ruling LDF and opposition UDF.

He referred to the efforts made by his government to support the welfare of Indian diaspora based in the Gulf countries, a majority of them Malayalees, and thanked the rulers of those countries to respond positively to the initiatives of his government, including the Vande Bharat mission. The speech clearly articulated a negation of the LDF government’s refrain that the Modi government was creating hurdles for the state in its development initiatives, especially in view of the multiple investigations being carried out by the central agencies into various scams involving the state government.

Modi said that for the security and progress of the future generations, the traditional concepts of infrastructure building were not good enough. Infrastructure for the future must include futuristic projects, such as the ones inaugurated by him, which can provide employment in the emerging new economy.