Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over 1.05 lakh crore rupees in Rajasthan, marking a major push to infrastructure, energy, transport and employment generation in the state. During his day-long visit, the Prime Minister inaugurated the new terminal building at Jodhpur Airport. Thereafter, he dedicated the country’s most modern Greenfield Refinery-cum-Petrochemical Complex to the nation in Pachpadra in Balotara district. He also inspected the refinery’s state-of-the-art control room, interacted with engineers and technical experts, flagged off fuel tankers, and virtually laid the foundation stone for Jaipur Metro Phase-II. A greenfield refinery is an industrial processing plant for oil, gas, or minerals built from scratch on undeveloped clean land.
Addressing the programme, the Prime Minister said the conflict in West Asia had triggered the biggest energy crisis of the 21st century, but India successfully overcame the challenge through timely decisions, effective diplomacy and prudent management of national resources. He said while many countries struggled with fuel shortages, India accurately assessed the crisis, formulated an effective strategy and used its diplomatic strength to safeguard the country’s energy security.
Mr. Modi said India’s friendly relations with countries across the world played a crucial role during the crisis. He said India, which earlier imported energy from around 25 to 26 countries, expanded its sourcing to nearly 40 countries, ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies despite global disruptions. He said this demonstrated that the interests of the nation and its citizens remain the government’s highest priority. The Prime Minister also noted that India has significantly enhanced its refining capacity and has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest refining nation.
The Prime Minister said the government prevented a steep rise in domestic cooking gas prices despite global turmoil. He said the crisis could have pushed the price of an LPG cylinder to nearly 2,000 rupees, but effective intervention ensured that consumers continued to receive cylinders at around 950 rupees. He added that between April and June, oil marketing companies incurred losses of nearly 75,000 crore rupees on petrol and diesel, a burden borne by the government to protect citizens from the impact of soaring international fuel prices.
Mr. Modi said the government’s efforts during the energy crisis would one day be recorded in history. He said while some people were busy spreading rumours and creating panic, officials worked round the clock behind the scenes with patience, hard work and sensitive policy decisions to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies. He thanked the people of the country for their cooperation during the difficult period and criticised those who attempted to politicise the crisis instead of supporting the nation.
Referring to the global fertiliser crisis caused by the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, he said while urea prices in several countries rose to nearly 3,000 rupees per bag, the government ensured that Indian farmers continue to receive urea at about 300 rupees per bag, protecting them from global price shocks.
Referring to the Pachpadra Refinery, the Prime Minister described it as a landmark project in India’s journey towards becoming a developed and self-reliant nation. He said the refinery would generate employment opportunities for thousands of people and provide a major boost to industrial development in western Rajasthan. Congratulating the youth of the state, he said, the project would open new avenues of investment and economic growth in the region.
Highlighting other development initiatives launched during the visit, Mr. Modi said, the newly inaugurated terminal building at Jodhpur Airport would strengthen tourism, trade and employment in the Marwar region. He said, the launch of the modified UDAN scheme from Jodhpur would improve air connectivity to smaller cities and remote areas. He also said, the long wait for resolving the water crisis in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region was nearing an end, and congratulated the people on the new development projects. He also criticised the previous Congress government for failing to address Rajasthan’s long-standing water challenges, saying the present government works with a “Nation First” approach, focusing on development for every region and every citizen. Mr. Modi also handed over appointment letters to around 54,000 youth recruited across various departments of the Government of Rajasthan.
