Motihari: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects exceeding ₹7,000 crore in Motihari, underscoring the eastern region’s growing role in India's development narrative. Calling the land of Champaran a cradle of historical change, he expressed hope that the inspiration from this region will now drive a new future for Bihar.
In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted the shifting global development axis, noting that Eastern countries and India’s eastern states are rising in prominence. “In India, this is the era of our eastern states,” he said, envisioning industrial and infrastructural parity between cities in the East and West, from Motihari rivalling Mumbai, to Patna matching Pune in growth.
Modi emphasised that both the Centre and the state now support Bihar’s development, citing figures that showed a fourfold increase in central support to the state compared to previous regimes. “Under the previous governments, development was stalled. Today, we ensure that every rupee reaches the poor,” he said.
Touching on housing, he noted that over 60 lakh pucca houses have been built in Bihar under PM Awas Yojana. In Motihari district alone, around 3 lakh families have benefitted, with 12,000 receiving house keys during the event.
The Prime Minister celebrated the role of women in Bihar’s progress, referencing how financial tools like Jan Dhan accounts have empowered nearly 3.5 crore women in the state. More than 24,000 self-help groups have received over ₹1,000 crore in the last 45 days alone. He also released ₹400 crore as a Community Investment Fund for women entrepreneurs and praised the Jeevika programme for enabling women to become financially self-reliant.
Employment was a major focus, with Modi highlighting Bihar’s recruitment drives and a new central scheme to offer ₹15,000 to first-time private sector jobholders starting 1 August. “The Central Government will spend ₹1 lakh crore on this effort,” he announced. He also pointed to the Mudra Yojana’s role in fostering self-employment, with 60,000 youth in Champaran alone receiving loans.
Reaffirming the government's aim to eliminate left-wing extremism, he said areas like Champaran, Aurangabad, Gaya, and Jamui have started to see a decline in Naxal influence. “Our resolve is to completely free the country from Naxalism,” Modi said.
Highlighting agriculture, he noted the formation of a Makhana Board and support for regional produce like banana, litchi, Katarni rice, and Zardalu mango. The new Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana will focus on 100 agriculturally lagging districts, aiming to support 1.75 crore farmers, many of them from Bihar.
The visit also included inaugurations in transport, fisheries, and IT. Modi flagged off new Amrit Bharat Express trains, including one linking Motihari to Delhi. Road and rail projects worth thousands of crores were launched, including the Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj line doubling and multiple highway upgrades. New Software Technology Parks were inaugurated in Patna and Darbhanga to support startups and the digital economy.
Fisheries projects under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana were launched to support rural employment and food production. Modi also released ₹160 crore to 40,000 PMAY-Gramin beneficiaries and handed over keys to new home recipients as part of the Griha Pravesh initiative.
Concluding his address, he drew a contrast between past political eras and today’s development-focused governance. He called on the people to protect Bihar’s gains and move forward together in building a new Bihar.
BI Bureau
