Chennai, Oct 12:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Tamil Nadu of continued support from the Centre, saying the Union government was ready to work with the State to accelerate development.
Inaugurating and launching projects worth over Rs 13,000 crore at IIT Madras, Modi said the initiatives spanning metro rail, highways, railways, ports, petroleum and scientific research would strengthen connectivity, boost trade and industry and create employment opportunities. “Viksit Tamil Nadu will lead to Viksit Bharat,” he said, emphasising the importance of Centre-State cooperation.
Recalling his experience as Gujarat Chief Minister and Prime Minister, Modi said he had worked with several Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers and would continue the same spirit of cooperation with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. He stressed that efficient public transport was essential for improving urban mobility and easing the daily commute of ordinary citizens.
Among the major projects inaugurated was the 14.64-km Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro Rail Phase II, built at a cost of around Rs 4,900 crore. Modi also launched highway and railway projects, port infrastructure initiatives and a Rs 1,620-crore lube oil base stocks project at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited’s Manali refinery.
In the scientific research sector, he dedicated the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras to the nation, launched a mission to map more than 100 human brains at cellular resolution and released C-STROKE, an atlas of the human brain affected by ischaemic stroke.