Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone of Bageshwar Dham Medical and Science Research Institute, in Chhatarpur on February 23, 2025. Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai C. Patel, State Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Bageshwar Dham Sarkar Acharya Dhirendra Krishna Shastri and Sadhvi Rithambara also seen.
| Photo Credit: ANI
“There is a section of leaders that mocks and ridicules the religion and is working to divide people. And many a time, foreign powers are also seen supporting such forces and trying to weaken the nation and the faith,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, after laying the foundation for religious preacher Dhirendra Shastri’s Bageshwar Dham Medical and Science Research Institute for Cancer in Madhya Pradesh.
Mr. Modi’s remarks come amid the ongoing controversy surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement regarding USAID grant of $21 million to “increase voter turnout” in India.
On a two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Global Investors Summit (GIS) as the government looks to revamp the State into a favourite destination for investment, manufacturing and infrastructure.
Mr. Modi, who was speaking in Chhatarpur district’s Garha village, said people who hate Hindu beliefs had been living in the country under different guises for centuries.
“These elements with slave mentality attack our temples, beliefs, saints, culture, and principles. They target our festivals, customs, and rituals, and even dare to defame the inherently progressive nature of our religion and culture. Their agenda is to only divide our society and destroy its unity,” he said.
The Prime Minister also praised the sanitation workers and police personnel working at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
‘Netra Maha Kumbh’
Terming the mega religious gathering the “Maha Kumbh of unity”, Mr. Modi said, “Amidst the Maha Kumbh, a ‘Netra Maha Kumbh’ is also being held, though it hasn’t garnered as much attention, where over two lakh eye check-ups have been conducted, around 1.5 lakh people have received free medicine and glasses, and about 16,000 patients have been referred to various hospitals for cataract and other surgeries.”
Later in the evening, Mr. Modi arrived in Bhopal where he held an interactive session with Bharatiya Janata Party MPs, MLAs, and other senior party leaders.
The two-day mega investor summit, an ambitious project of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, will kickstart on Monday and is expected to see participation from several industry leaders from India and abroad.
The State government has received more than 32,000 registrations for the summit, as against 20,000 it had expected.
A senior government official told The Hindu that more than 5,000 registrations were cancelled after a scrutiny to avoid overcrowding at the summit.
“Most of the potential investors whose registrations were cancelled have been directed to the departments concerned with their proposals. Nobody will be turned away,” the official said.
20 new policies
The State government has also introduced nearly 20 new policies concerning various sectors such as food processing, textile, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy.
In the run-up to the summit, Mr. Yadav visited Japan and Germany to woo foreign companies to set up operations in the State, with the latter set to attend the GIS as a partner country.
To promote ease of doing business and tone down the bureaucratic process, the State has reduced the total required permissions from 38 to about 10, Mr. Yadav had said earlier.
After the foundation laying, Mr. Shastri said a ward at the 218-crore cancer hospital would be named after Mr. Modi’s late mother — Heeraben Modi.
Published – February 23, 2025 07:42 pm IST