Developing new work culture, economy moving in right direction – PM Modi after inauguration of Ro-Ro Ferry service in Gujarat

Ghoga /Dahej(Gujarat) :

PM Narendra Modi today said that his government was developing a new transparent and accountable work culture and despite several reforms and strong decisions including demonetization and implementation of GST, the economy was moving in right direction.

Addressing a function in Dahej of Bharuch district after an over an hour long travel by the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service after its inauguration in Ghogha of Bhavnagar, he said that despite several reforms and strong decisions including demonetization and implementation of GST, the economy was moving in right direction.

‘The production of coal, electricity and other such things has increased, Foreign reserve has gone up to 40000 crore dollars from earlier 30000 crore dollars. Various foreign experts were saying that the fundamentals of our economy were strong,’ he said.

He said that his government was developing a new work culture based on transparency and accountability. ‘It is this work culture which has expedited the work on various schemes. The road and rail tracks were being made with double the earlier pace. We are able to get things like passports, gas cylinders etc easily. We are protecting the rights of poor and middle class with the help of technology. Demonetization has brought the money lying in the tizori (vaults) to banks. Likewise the GST has also started a new business culture. 27 lakh new people have been added in the indirect tax system after GST. The businessmen in India were not dishonest but there were certain rules etc which were compelling them to go the other way,’ he said adding that those getting benefit from earlier corrupt system had naturally turned against him now.

Talking about ports he said that his slogan was P for P ie Ports for Prosperity. He said that India was a major power in sea commerce and navigation but has lost it during the colonial period. Now the government was taking the steps to revive it through Rs 8 lakh crore Sagarmala project keeping in mind the port development as per 2035 needs. There will be 400 projects under it and it could generate around one crore new job opportunities. It will be the base of the New India.

He said that via sea the relationship with other countries could be strengthened. Ports were like lungs and connectivity was like veins. His government was giving priority to infrastructure and connectivity. He also stressed on the need to establish export based industries in coastal areas to reduce logistic cost and increase profitability. He said that the cost of logistics was still at a high 18% of the economy in India and it can be brought down to half with development of waterways which were the cheapest mode of transport. The costliest mode of transport was roads and it accounts for around 55% of the total logistics, railways comparatively cheaper has 35 % cheaper while the cheapest waterway has just 5 to 6 % contribution. ‘It is surprising as to why the government did not utilize the water resources of around 21000 km including coast and rivers in the country. It has caused a loss of trillions of rupees,’ he said.

PM Modi said that in the coming future many new cities would come up in the coastal area the way Lord Krishna had set up Dwarka. In the 18 th and 19 th century the Industrial revolution was land based but in the 21 st century the Industrial revolution would come through sea and blue economy.

Earlier in Ghoga he said that the 7500 km long vast coast-line of India was the gate-way for development and prosperity of the country and through the Sagarmala project of his government meant to modernize the long-ignored port sector, an estimated one crore jobs could be created.

Addressing a function to dedicate the first phase of Ghoga-Dahej Ro Ro ferry service in the port town in Bhavnagar district of his home-state Gujarat today, Modi said, ‘ The vast coastal border of India was 7500 km long. There was immense investment potential through it. Our coasts are the gate-ways for development and prosperity. But our port sector was left ignored for long during the earlier governments. Now the government has started Sagarmala project to modernize it. This is playing a major role in increasing the cargo handling through coastal transport. In last 2 to 3 years the largest capacity addition to the ports has taken place. The ports running in deficit have started doing better. As per an estimate Sagarmala project alone can create around a crore of jobs.’

He said that even after so many years since independence the country was having only five national water ways. His government was removing the policy imbalance and was now working on 106 water ways with the total length of 17000 km. This would help remove the transport imbalance as well. The government has also started blue revolution for the coastal areas. Had the importance of port based development understood earlier, the people of Saurashtra-Kutch, where maximum vibrancy would be seen in the coming days, were not compelled to live in the slums of other cities for earning bread and butter.

He said that the government has made schemes to provide modern long liner trawlers to fishermen so that they do fishing economically and more efficiently without unknowingly crossing Indian waters which put them in trouble.

He said that the infrastructure development was the biggest priority of his government. The highways have seen unprecedented expansion, in the aviation sector small airports were being built. The work on bullet train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai was also started some time back. All these will be the basis of the transport system of 21st century in the country.

On the occasion he termed Ghoga Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service, the largest such service in South East Asia, as a priceless gift for India. He said that it would aid in making of a new Gujarat. He said that he was very happy to inaugurate the project about which he was hearing since his childhood days and which could never take off earlier owing to wrong policies of the then governments.

‘I congratulate the Gujarat government for the start of the service which has fulfilled a big dream of 6.5 crore Gujaratis. I use to hear about start of such project since I my school days. But many governments came and went. Many so-called big leaders from Bhavnagar also came and went but It never took off. It seems that the good works are destined to be completed by me,’ he said.

Modi said that he changed many policy flaws to make it possible. ‘ You can’t have new results with old thinking. The earlier government had done such mistakes that this service could never have seen the light of the day. It had made the provision for construction of terminals and dredging of sea etc by the one who wished to start the ferry service. It was like asking a bus owner to make road for his vehicle or an aircraft service to construct airport. I changed the policy in which government took up the responsibility. I also made provision of profit sharing by the service operator to the government.’

He said that this ferry service would not only decrease time of travel considerably between South Gujarat and Saurashtra from 7 to 8 hours to one to one and a quarter hours but also bring the people of the two regions closer.

In future, we’re planning to extend the Ghogha – Dahej ferry to Hazira, Pipavav,Daman Diu,Mumbai and to start another such service between Jamnagar and Kutch in the bay of Kutch. The ro-ro service would also help ease the traffic load on the roads in Industrial areas of Gujarat. Around 12000 people travel between the two regions daily. It would also save large quantity of diesel. The rail transport was cheaper than road transport and the water based transport was the cheapest. He said that this ferry would also bring back the grand old days of the coasts of Ghogha and Bhavnagar. It would also assist in the development of Dholera special investment region which was to be a major global industrial center on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor.

Modi said that when he laid the foundation of this project in 2012 as the then CM, he was dependent on the then central government for many things. And in the government of those days (Congress led UPA) there were such people who had stopped the development of Gujarat coast from Mandavi to Vapi and locked the industries in the name of environment and pollution. ‘When I got the chance to serve in Delhi, all the problems were resolved one after the other,’ he added.

He said that since his days as CM of Gujarat he was stressing on the need for port led development of Gujarat which has the largest coast-line of 1600 km in the country. Guajrat handle the one third cargo of the small ports in the country. The maritime development of Gujarat was a model for the whole country and likewise the Ro-Ro ferry service was also a model for other states willing to start it. This service would also bring thousands of new employment opportunities and add a new chapter in the coastal shipping and tourism. Many ferries and cruises would ply between Ghogha and Dahej in the future. The rich people of Surat would hire some of it for celebrating birthdays and for picnics. He changed the ship breaking rules and stressed on specialized port terminals. Stress was also being laid on local employment in shipping industries. Japan has agreed to invest in Alang for the modernization and capacity enhancement of ship breaking yard. As an alternative route from Bhavnagat to Alang was being created. Work to set up a maritime museum in Lothal was also on.

PM Modi said that it was a matter to ponder as to why the ports of Gujarat like Lothal of Indus valley times where flags of 84 countries were hoisted and Vallbahi university went in to oblivion.
He also hit out at the past Congress governments for making such policies which would not have let the Dairy sector flourish in Saurashtra. PM Modi also dedicated the cattle feed plant of Sarvottam Dairy. He said that he changed the policies for it which increased the milk production manifold and gave an alternative way of earning to the farmers.

Later, PM Modi traveled in the ferry with Divyang children till Dahej. CM Vijay Rupani, Dy CM Nitin Patel, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and BJP state president Jeetu Vaghani also accompanied him during the over an hour long ferry.

He had mingled with the divyang children quite well during the journey and was seen interacting with them on his arrival to Dahej terminal also.

DeshGujarat