HM Amit Shah promises to make Puducherry major IT hub
He also hit out at the previous regime for pushing the region to corruption
Senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said plans are afoot to develop an industrial corridor in the Union Territory of Puducherry and also make it a major IT hub.
Addressing an election rally at Thirukkannur, he said the NDA is committed to transforming Puducherry into a fully developed region.
Shah said a laptop manufacturing unit has been established in the UT with an annual production capacity of 3 lakh units.
"The unemployment rate, which had risen to 47 per cent during the earlier regime, has come down significantly to 4.3 per cent under the NDA government. The previous Congress government led by V Narayanasamy had pushed Puducherry into backwardness, while the NDA government had focused on development with strong support from the Centre," he said.
He also hit out at the previous regime for pushing the region to corruption, including medical seat scams and a Rs 15,000 crore Centralised Admission Committee (Centac) fraud, according to CAG reports.
Campaigning for NDA candidates in Mannadipet, Shah said the amount lost to corruption could have funded three years of Puducherry’s budget.
"There are plans to make Puducherry a major IT firm. The region is already producing 3 lakh laptops annually for export and promised more high-tech factories to curb the migration of educated unemployed youth for jobs," he said.
Shah also promised to hike the monthly assistance for fishermen from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000, and the annual financial aid for farmers from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000.
Taking a dig at the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he remarked that Gandhi seemed to be "living in a dream world".
"Rahul Gandhi talks about petrol prices in Pakistan to scare Indians. In India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have ensured stability despite global crises,” he said.
He said the INDIA bloc is a house divided, with allies fighting each other in five different constituencies in Puducherry, whereas the constituents of the NDA are united.
The Union territory will go to the polls on April 9.
