PM inaugurates ‘U’khand GIS-2023’
Excelsior Correspondent
DEHRADUN, Dec 8: ‘Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit (GIS) 2023’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi here today. The theme of the Summit is ‘Peace to Prosperity’.Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed his happiness for being in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand and remembered his utterance about the third decade of the century being the decade of Uttrakhand.The Prime Minister reiterated the benefits of a double-engine Government whose double efforts are visible everywhere. While the State Government is working keeping in mind the local realities, the Government of India is making unprecedented investments in Uttrakhand. Both levels of Government are augmenting each other’s efforts.He noted that every state in India including Uttarakhand is reaping the benefits of this strength and it is a matter of satisfaction that the statement is being realized on the ground.Referring to the work going from rural areas to Char Dham, the Prime Minister said that the day is not far when the distance between Delhi-Dehradun will be reduced to two and half hours worth of travel. Dehradun and Pantnagar airport extension will strengthen air connectivity.Heli-taxi services are being expanded in the state and rail connectivity is being strengthened. All this is creating new opportunities for agriculture, industry, logistics, storage, tourism and hospitality.Reiterating his close association with Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister said that Uttarakhand is a state where one feels divinity and development simultaneously. The Prime Minister recited one of his poems to further elaborate the feeling.Contradicting the approach of the previous governments which granted limited access to places located on the border areas, the Prime Minister underlined the double-engine government’s efforts to develop them as the first village of the country.“Aspirational India desires a stable government rather than instability”, the Prime Minister said as he threw light on the recently concluded Assembly Elections and underlined that the people voted based on good governance and its track record.PM Modi appealed to the rich, the affluent and the youth of the country to initiate the movement ‘Wed in India’ along the lines of ‘Make in India’. He requested them to perform and organize at least one marriage ceremony in Uttarakhand in the next five years.“Even if 5000 weddings take place in 1 year in Uttarakhand, a new infrastructure will come into place and transform the state into a wedding destination for the world”, the Prime Minister said highlighting India’s potential to achieve any resolve that it takes.Highlighting the Lakhpati Didi Abhiyan, the Prime Minister underlined his resolve to create two crore Lakhpati Didis from the rural regions in the country and said that the initiative will gain momentum with the launch of the House of Himalaya’s brand. He also thanked the Uttarakhand government for the initiative.Concluding the address, the Prime Minister remarked that the present is an unprecedented time for India, its companies and its investors. “India is going to become the third largest economy in the world in the next few years,” he added.While welcoming PM Modi at Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said that from time to time, many great men in India have done the work of enhancing the beauty of the crown of Mother India and showing the right direction to the society.There are many such personalities about whom we have only heard and have not seen them directly, but when we look at the Prime Minister today, we see a part of all those great personalities in him. The hard work with which the country’s PM is trying to make India a world leader again, also plants the seeds of hope and faith among 140 crore Indians.Today, not only India but other countries of the world also follow the Prime Minister’s thinking, his strategy and his ideas.The main objective of “Destination Uttarakhand” is the overall development of the state by coordinating ecology and economy with green economy and employment. The target was to receive investment proposals worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the Global Investors Summit, so far agreements have been made on investment proposals exceeding the target.Governor of Uttarakhand, Retd. Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh was also present on the occasion among others.