How Varanasi epitomises the best of Narendra Modi’s development model

Taking forward the progressive journey of “Vikaswaad” in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 July 2021 laid the foundation stones of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore at the IIT-BHU ground. He also inaugurated the International Cooperation and Convention Centre, ‘Rudrakash’, which was constructed with Japanese assistance. Various public projects and works, including a 100-bed MCH wing in BHU, multi-level parking at Godauliya, Ro-Ro vessels for tourism development on river Ganga and a three-lane flyover bridge on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway were the defining projects flagged off by the prime minister. Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology (CIPET), 143 rural projects under Jal Jeevan Mission, and a mango and vegetable integrated packhouse in Karkhiyaon are alone worth around Rs 839 crore. On a visit to Varanasi on the occasion of “Good Governance Day” in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without any hesitation, picked up a broom and participated in a cleanliness drive at Jagannath Gali near Assi Ghat. Further, speaking on the occasion, the prime minister described the land of Kashi as one which gave us “Shiksha Ki Sanskriti” (a culture of education). And indeed, within barely eight years, Varanasi today, which has transformed into a thriving medical hub of the Purvanchal region, is known as the unique seat of holistic learning, with a humanist vision. [caption id=“attachment_10430501” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] (File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds mega roadshow in Varanasi. Twitter/@BJP4UP[/caption] Varanasi is on the bucket list of virtually every international tourist who comes to India. In 2014, when Prime Minister Modi was elected as the MP of Varanasi, he remarked, “There’s a lot of work that god has put me on this earth for. A lot of it is dirty work, but I’m up to the task." Since then, from world-class infrastructure to express trains, from underground cabling to waste treatment plants, from a cultural convention centre to modern traffic control, from a multimodal terminal to a container depot for perishables, Varanasi has witnessed a transformative revolution in the last eight years, with Kashi Vishwanath Dham showcasing Kashi’s vibrancy. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ring Road and Phase-1 was completed in November 2018 in record time, making traffic movement across the city much easier and helping decongestion of roads. Varanasi has a very busy airport, naturally due to the movement of pilgrims and tourists in and out of the city. The over 17-km-long airport road developed under the aegis of Prime Minister Modi is called the Gateway of Varanasi today. The development of the first multimodal terminal on an inland waterway in Varanasi was a matter of pride for the city, with the prime minister receiving the first container vessel on the river Ganga in 2018. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation of two dedicated cancer hospitals in Varanasi a few years back. Also, IMS BHU was accorded AIIMS-like status, which will further improve health facilities in the hospital. Kashi is called the city of Mahadev; the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor is a boon to lakhs of devotees of Shiva, who are making use of the direct link, developed between the temple and Ganga Ghat. Kashi, a thriving and busy city, generates a lot of waste and sewage. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a large sewage infrastructure project, sometime back. A 140 million litre per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP) at Dinapur, set up in 2018, has made the city get rid of the large waste generated and would further curb river pollution. The last few years have been momentous in the history of Kashi. Not only has the city given India one of its most popular and powerful prime ministers ever, but it has also witnessed rapid development that only an MP of Narendra Modi’s stature can usher in. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the trade facilitation Centre and Crafts Museum in 2017, for the benefit of many weavers, craftsmen and artisans of Varanasi and nearby areas. He had once remarked that India cannot become a “Vishwa Guru” without the development of Kashi. The development of Kashi is, in turn, incomplete without bettering the lives of weavers. [caption id=“attachment_10206421” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. News18[/caption] Handicrafts of Kashi are spread in the form of cottage industries, with Banarasi silk saree, textile industry, and carpet industries being some of the prominent ones. More than lakhs of handloom weavers are directly or indirectly related to these industries. Measures taken for the betterment of weavers and artisans have gone a long way in enhancing their incomes. For the retention of the next generation of weavers, a carpet engineering programme is being run in IICT Bhadohi. At least 75 per cent of the fees of the students belonging to poor families of weavers are being taken care of by the Modi government. There is a provision for margin money of Rs 10,000 in the MUDRA scheme for weavers. Mega carpet clusters in Mirzapur and Bhadohi are being given modern looms. Also, they are being imparted skills under skill development programs. To realise this goal, a BTech programme in the carpet technology area is being run in IICT Bhadohi. India currently occupies a 35 per cent share of the world’s carpet market. Prime Minister Modi has set a target to own 50 per cent of the world’s carpet market. Across India, after Prime Minister Modi took up the cause of promoting Khadi, sales of Khadi have been on an upswing. In Varanasi too, Khadi institutions and workers are being encouraged, with credit linked capital subsidy (CLCS). Under Kaushal Vikas Yojana, thousands of youth are being skilled and empowered. The Coir Board also organises regular international vyapar melas. The commencement of expansion of Diesel Locomotive Works also started thanks to Prime Minister Modi. Not only is Kashi witnessing development on an unprecedented scale but the people of this sacred city are also experiencing first hand what it is to have a karmayogi prime minister as their MP. A “cheque bounce” law was scrapped, at the request of small businessmen from Varanasi, benefitting scores of small traders and proprietors. The ‘Jan Sampark’ office of PM Modi in Kashi is dedicated to the service of common people in the city and had done exemplary work when floods hit the city in 2020. After selecting Jayapur, a tiny village in Varanasi, 7km from the Rajatalab railway station, for the ‘Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’, Prime Minister Modi opined that it is not MPs who are taking guardianship of the village under this Yojana, but villagers who were taking MPs under their wing, through this scheme. “Can we decide that we will not allow Jayapur to become dirty; can we ensure children wash hands before eating”, the prime minister asked the large gathering at Jayapur, asserting that these things did not require government intervention. He said such positive social energy can help create a model village. Days after he met and addressed the people of Jayapur, they reciprocated, by turning the birth of a girl child into a festive occasion and planting trees. [caption id=“attachment_10208971” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] (File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. PTI[/caption] Varanasi is the only place from where the revered Ganga, is Uttar Vahini (flows towards North). It is here from where the powerful stream of the river Ganga turns directions. Thus, the start of the biggest sanitation drive also happened in Varanasi. Speaking of Covid, the moment it became clear that the second wave had hit India, the prime minister sent his emissary, a long-time aide, AK Sharma to Varanasi with instructions to take proactive measures and make sure that damage was controlled. Sharma landed in Varanasi on 13 April 2021 and immediately set in motion a 24x7 Command and Control room. With 20 dedicated phone lines and round-the-clock manpower, the “Kashi Covid Response Centre”, became the hub of coordination between various arms of administration, as also interface with the people, for seamless management of the situation. Two oxygen plants, hundreds of oxygen cylinders and concentrators were ordered and a DRDO Covid hospital was also set up, to tide over the crisis. The positivity rate of the district came down from a high of over 30 per cent to less than 13 per cent in a matter of days. The administration ramped up the RT-PCR testing capacity of Kashi city from 5,000 to 12,000 per day, while making sure that the results were made available within 24 hours. Sharma arranged for two automatic RNA extractor machines from Assocham, which made the quicker testing possible. Of the four oxygen plants in Varanasi supplying 12,000 LPM oxygen, one each was imported from the United States and Israel respectively, while two others were procured from Maharashtra and Gujarat each. Varanasi also had the highest supply of Remdesivir injections at about 700 vials a day. During the second wave in April and May 2021, over 9,000 per day vaccination rate in Kashi was also one of the highest for any city in Uttar Pradesh. Another farsighted step taken on the instructions of PM Modi was to make sure the rural areas were protected. The administration distributed 70,000 medical kits to contain the pandemic in the rural hinterland of Varanasi and the healthcare staff at the primary and secondary dispensaries were trained on a war footing on the use of oxymeters and other testing paraphernalia. The result was heartening with distress calls from rural areas coming down from a peak of 800 per day, to about 100 at the Command and Control Centre, within days. Varanasi is holy. Varanasi is mystical. Varanasi is enigmatic. Varanasi represents the timeless values of Hindu dharma. If we look at the political history in India, a prime minister’s constituency is in the spotlight only for a brief period of time. But Prime Minister Modi’s constituency has been the centre of attention for all the right reasons, with the prime minister visiting Varanasi well over two dozen times, in the last few years alone, despite his jam-packed schedule. PM Modi’s affection for the mystical city of Kashi is well-known. In his own words to the people of Kashi, Modi said, “Kashi owns me, I am imprisoned in its love.” The author is an economist, national spokesperson of the BJP and the Bestselling Author of ‘The Modi Gambit’. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .