Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation of a slew of projects in the health, education, water supply and sanitation sectors worth over ₹3,306 crore in Jharkhand.

Mr. Modi inaugurated four rural water supply schemes in Ramgarh and Hazaribagh; laid the foundation stone for six more rural water supply schemes in these two districts, and an urban water supply scheme in Hazaribagh at a function here.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the NDA government had taken several development initiatives in Jharkhand in the past four-and-a-half years for the uplift of all sections of society.

The Hazaribag visit was another occasion to continue the development work, he said.

“Three medical colleges have been inaugurated in Dumka, Palamu and Hazaribag. The state had just three such colleges so far. Now with the addition of three more, students won’t have to travel far to study medicine. Also, people can avail medical facilities at ease,” he said.

Talking about the gift milk scheme, which he inaugurated here prior to his speech, Mr. Modi said the initiative will improve the nutritional standards of children in government schools.

The Prime Minister also congratulated the farmers on receiving financial assistance to buy smart phones.

“The farmers can now get regular updates on climate, learn about modern farming techniques and find out about government initiatives,” he said.

Health and sanitation

Mr. Modi inaugurated three medical colleges in Hazaribagh, Dumka and Palamu and laid foundation of four 500-bedded hospitals in Hazaribagh, Dumka, Palamu and Jamshedpur.

He said that the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY of the central government had benefitted more than 57,000 people in the state.

“Jharkhand has witnessed the launch of Ayushman Bharat health scheme last year. Lakhs of families across the country have benefitted from the scheme, including 57,000 people in Jharkhand,” he stated.

Mr. Modi also asserted that the central government had been taking initiatives to supply clean drinking water to all homes in Jharkhand.

“Health is directly related to cleanliness and sanitation. In the last four-and-a-half years, the Centre has spent thousands of crores (of rupees) to launch 350 projects for supplying clean drinking water. Today, I have laid foundation of 11 such projects to ensure that people receive clean water,” he maintained.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Sahibganj Sewerage Treatment Plant, and the Madhusudan Ghat, under the Namami Gange initiative.

Women's engineering college

He also inaugurated a building of a women’s engineering college in Ramgarh remotely, and said it was the first-of-its-kind in Jharkhand.

He also launched a centre of tribal studies at Acharya Vinoba Bhave University here.

Jharkhand has two dozen Eklavya schools, a modern residential school for tribal students, and work was on to set up 70 more, he said.

Mr. Modi also paid tribute to Vijay Soreng, the CRPF personnel from the state who was killed along with 39 others in the Pulwama terrorist attack last week, and said that the Centre would look after the families of the slain jawans.

Jharkhand has seen many revolutions over the years and grown from strength to strength, he added.