Banaskantha (Gujarat) [India], October 30 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that serving the people of Gujarat and the country had been the central focus of his journey, crediting citizens for entrusting him with the responsibility of leadership and dedicating his achievements to them.
Addressing a public event in Banaskantha, PM Modi said that a person from an ordinary family, whose generations had never imagined holding the position of a village head, was given the opportunity to serve Gujarat and subsequently the entire country.
"A person from an ordinary family—a family whose generations had never even dreamt of becoming the head of a village—was deemed worthy by you. You entrusted me with the responsibility of serving, first Gujarat, and then the entire nation," said PM.
"Service to the people leads to service to the nation, and the development of Gujarat contributes to the development of the country. Whatever I have been able to achieve for the nation, the credit belongs to all my fellow countrymen," he said.
He added, "For this, I will remain indebted to you for the rest of my life. And until the very last moment of my life, I will remain dedicated to serving you."
Highlighting the contribution of Banaskantha to agriculture and the cooperative sector, the Prime Minister said that potatoes produced in the region had gained global recognition and praised Banas Dairy for expanding the cooperative movement beyond Gujarat.
"Potatoes from Banaskantha are world-famous today. And no one would dare come to a person from Banaskantha and claim they could turn potatoes into gold—because they are already doing it themselves! Here, we have a cooperative brand like Banas Dairy, which is expanding the cooperative movement not just here, but also in other parts of the country, including Kashi. I am especially grateful to Banas Dairy because my Kashi is also benefiting from your experience and your service," PM Modi said.
He also highlighted the expansion of the potato processing plant's capacity, saying it would enable the procurement of larger quantities of potatoes and benefit farmers.
The Prime Minister further spoke about the Cluster Development Programme for fruit and vegetable growers, under which 12 clusters have been approved for different crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, grapes, bananas, onions, oranges, pomegranates and cocoa.
He said the initiative would support farmers in establishing new orchards and rejuvenating existing ones, with subsidies for the entire project. He added that two clusters approved for North Gujarat would benefit potato farmers in Banaskantha and Sabarkantha.
Addressing concerns over the impact of tensions in the Gulf, PM Modi accused some people of spreading rumours about shortages of fertilisers and gas.
"Today, every youth, sister and daughter is working towards making India a developed nation. But some people do not like this. These are the people who want to see the country in difficulty. They feel happy when they see the country in difficulty. When the nation as one is facing uncertainties emerging due to tensions in the Gulf, they spread rumours about shortages of fertilisers and gas. They wanted to do this only to defame Modi," he said.
Reassuring farmers, the Prime Minister said the government had stood by them despite continuing tensions in the Gulf and claimed that it had not allowed the impact of rising global fertiliser prices to fall on farmers.
"The tensions in the Gulf are still ongoing, but the govt did not let the burden of increased fertiliser prices across the world fall on our farmers," he added. (ANI)
“Service to people leads to service to nation”: PM Modi says he will remain dedicated to serving people till his last breath
