NDTV, being the left-liberal organization has always been alleging the government for various unnecessary reasons. Adding to this narrative, NDTV has even termed Bundelkhand as a deprived area where people consume grass for a living. Though the area was impoverished once upon a time, now it is well developed with governmental projects. The recent inauguration of an expressway is just another milestone for the region.
PM Modi in Bundelkhand
On 16 July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bundelkhand Expressway in the Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh. It is a 296 km four-lane expressway, with a cost of around Rs. 14,850 crores with the support of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).
The expressway extends from NH-35 at Gonda village near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district, where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway. Moreover, the distance from Chitrakoot to Delhi has been reduced by 3- 4 hours by the Bundelkhand Expressway.
The expressway will provide a huge boost to connectivity and economic development of the region. This can further create jobs for the local people. With its construction, it is expected that more investment will be welcomed in the underprivileged area. It will also facilitate people with easy access to the outside world.
During the inaugural ceremony, PM Modi emphasized that the Bundelkhand Expressway passes through seven districts, namely, Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah. Similarly, other expressways are connecting every nook and corner of the state. In addition, he pointed out that the development will reach small cities, further leading it to the realization of social justice.
The geographical history of Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand area lies between the Indo-Ganges Plain to the north and the Vindhya Range to the south. It is a gently-sloping upland, distinguished by barren hilly terrain with sparse vegetation. It is one of the hottest places in India, and several people die of sunstroke here every year. Here, rainwater has little to no time to penetrate the soil. There are districts in Bundelkhand which fall under the category of “drought prone” regions, it includes Jalaun, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, and Mahoba.
In addition, the area of Bundelkhand has often been highlighted as a deprived and hunger-stricken area of India. The people of the region often fail to satisfy their hunger, it is because farmers are unable to grow crops. They have often been suppressed under acute water shortages and power outages.
Apart from this, Bundelkhand is among the most patriarchal and regressive regions of UP, leading to the increased crime rates in the region. Various heinous cases of dowry deaths, rapes, brutal torture, women getting beaten up, murdered, burnt alive, molested, and harassed, have been reported in the area.
All these incidents are unfortunate. Nevertheless, the Modi government is working incessantly in turning the complete prejudiced spectrum of Bundelkhand. The government has built various developmental projects to not just lure investors but to also transform the social and economic conditions of the region.
Read More: UP’s most neglected region Bundelkhand gets a healing touch from Modi government
Developments in Bundelkhand
Time never stops, just like the Modi government which doesn’t stop its developmental initiatives. The BJP government is recurrently introducing numerous projects to turn the entire facet of Bundelkhand.
In 2019, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for various schemes worth more than Rs. 20,000 crores, claiming that the Bundelkhand region will soon be developed on the lines of Kutch of Gujarat. The schemes included a defence corridor and piped drinking water line. It was objectified with the goal of facilitating the irrigation facilities in the region and also generating job opportunities.
When the Yogi government came to power, it decided to prepare a comprehensive infrastructure-driven plan for the development of the region. It inaugurated projects worth more than 2,000 crore rupees. The plan was basically introduced to strengthen the downtrodden border region.
As reported by TFI, in 2021, PM Modi gave a signal for the introduction of the Ken-Betwa linking project. It is a linking project of two rivers, which have been under the pipeline for a very long time. It is to facilitate the people in irrigating the drought-prone Bundelkhand areas of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Read More: India takes the first step towards the linking of rivers
The government is gradually trying to flip the prejudiced narrative of Bundelkhand as a deprived region. PM Modi’s continuous efforts are a step towards just that.
This new era of connectivity will create a bundle of economic opportunities, especially in the transportation sector apart from thousands of jobs that the development of the Expressway will by itself create. With the recent development of the Expressway, the region is set to break out of the decades of poverty and misery that have plagued the region. Thus, squashing the age-old narrative of “Ghaas ki Roti”.
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