Modi Govt Powered Goa's Development Across Sectors Over 12 Years: CM Sawant

• Sawant said 299 km of National Highways were built in Goa, along with a ₹999 crore port connectivity project in Vasco.

• He noted that an airport link road at Mopa in North Goa was built at a cost of ₹1,183 crore.

• On rail development, he said 24 km of new tracks were laid and 164 km were electrified, while two Vande Bharat routes were started.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for contributing towards the overall development of the coastal state in the last 12 years.

Talking to reporters in Panaji, Sawant said the BJP-led central government has contributed immensely towards growth of all sectors in the tourist state, including infrastructure.

Since 2014, he noted, 299km of National Highways was constructed in Goa besides ₹999 crore was spent on a port connectivity initiative in Vasco town.

An airport link road was constructed at Mopa in North Goa at a cost of ₹1,183 crore, the CM stated.

On the Railway front, he said, 24 kilometre of new tracks was laid, while 164 kilometre of lines was electrified. In addition, two Vande Bharat train routes were operationalised -- between Madgao-Mumbai and Mangalore-Madgaon.

The chief minister said under Amrit Bharat Stations scheme, railway stations at Madgaon, Sanvordem, and Vasco were selected for world-class development.

On the tourism front, Sawant noted that a sum of ₹197 crore was sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme which was utilised to develop Fort Aguada and Dona Paula jetty.

The chief minister said a National Institute of Technology has been established in Goa with 40% reservation for local students. Another national institute has been set up to boost sports training and water tourism skills.

An All India Institute of Ayurveda was established in Goa at a cost of ₹302 crore, the CM maintained.

On the economic front, Sawant said under PM Jan Dhan Yojana, a total of 2.27 lakh bank accounts were opened in Goa, while under PM Mudra Yojana, more than ₹57.8 crore was disbursed to small businesses.