Thakur said it was Modi who met then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and sought his approval for the Atal Tunnel project in Rohtang. The Himachal CM also recalled how the PM was ‘actively involved’ with every state during the crucial Covid period
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be reaching Himachal Pradesh’s capital, Shimla, today, his second trip in 17 days, chief minister Jairam Thakur says it is his love for the people of the hill state that the PM visits here frequently. Modi will be in Shimla to attend an event that is being organised on the completion of eight years of the BJP government.
The 9.2 km Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, which connects Manali with Lahaul, was conceptualised by the PM, said Thakur. “It was Modiji who went to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and got his approval. When in 2017, I went to meet him, he enquired about the progress on the tunnel work. For him, it is much more than a road. He believes that the lives of people of Lahaul Spiti will be improved because of it,” Thakur recalled.
The inauguration of the tunnel was also quite special, recalled the CM. “Everything was going virtual during the Covid-19 pandemic. I requested the PM to come in person to inaugurate the tunnel as it was a big achievement for the state and he agreed on one condition that every Covid protocol will be followed. This was the first in-person inauguration he did during the Covid period,” the CM told News18.
Praising the PM for supporting workers like him, Thakur remembered meeting him with the proposal for the Investor Summit in Himachal.
“The PM inquired how successful it is going to be considering the tough terrain. He accepted to grace the summit with his presence and then, from the stage, the PM said he is the host, not the guest. It is because of his guidance that even during the Covid pandemic, we managed to get investment worth Rs 28,000 crore,” Thakur said.
PM Modi gives hope to lakhs of workers across the country as, in him, people see a true example of a man from an ordinary background rising up to a higher rank.
Elaborating more on the hard times the country witnessed during the pandemic, Thakur said every state witnessed PM’s “active involvement” in managing the situation. Thakur recalled how the PM sought the tiniest information regarding the preparation and management during the ferocious second wave.
“I, too, contracted COVID-1 and when the prime minister got to know this, he instructed doctors to keep a watch on my health and took updates. I was so touched as he cared about me like a guardian,” said Thakur.
The chief minister said Modi has always been supportive for the state welfare programmes and schemes including the vaccination drive in tough terrains of Himachal.
Thakur said he believes the Modi is also the ‘brand ambassador’ of Himachal Pradesh. “Whether it is presenting the Kullu shawl and Kangra tea to former US President Donald Trump’s wife Melania or giving her a Himachali cap, which he also wore during his trip to Israel, PM Modi acted as the brand ambassador of Himachal on every occasion. Recently, he himself bought the ‘Pulen’ (jute chappals) prepared by the weavers of Kullu and gave them to the ‘sevadars’ of Kashi Vishwanath temple, which led to an increase in the demand of those footwears,” Thakur pointed out.
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