Union Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah presided over the foundation stone laying ceremony of development of Bharat Vandana Park at New Delhi today. Also present were the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Anil Baijal and Minister of State (I/C) of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Shri Shah said that the proposed park would be a major tourist attraction once constructed. He added that proposed over an area of 200 acres and at the cost of 550 crore rupees, the park’s proximity to the Indira Gandhi International Airport and metro station would only add to its attractiveness as tourist destination.

Commenting on the ongoing protests on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Shri Shah said that people are being misled on the issue by vested political interests and reiterated his promise that not a single minority citizen of India will lose his/her citizenship. Shri Shah said that as legislation, the CAA is meant to enable and empower stateless refugees, and is not meant to deprive any Indian citizen. Shri Shah also remarked that giving citizenship to refugees was part of the Nehru Liaqat pact, which was being implemented after 70 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He emphasized that people against the Amendment may oppose it as much as possible, Modi Government is committed to give citizenship and a dignified life to refugees persecuted for last 70 years.

Speaking on the regularization of unauthorized colonies, Shri Shah said that Modi Government’s move would benefit 40 lakh people residing in 1731 illegal colonies, and added that these people would finally have justice because of the efforts of the Union Government. Shri Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government was committed to ensuring a sense of ownership and dignity for the 40 lakh people currently living in unauthorized colonies.

Shri Shah said that the Ayushman Bharat scheme as conceived and implemented by the Narendra Modi Government would benefit 50 crore poor people belonging to 10 crore families, and would ensure a coverage of medical cost till 5 lakh rupees including medicines, hospitalization and post-operative care. He enumerated the steps taken by the Government for holistic development, such as 33 % female reservation in police recruitment, 18 projects with a total outlay of 802 crore rupees under AMRIT and 112 km of new metro lines for Delhi Metro after 2014 at the cost of 11,000 crore rupees. He added that Delhi was now ODF (Open Defecation Free) because of the efforts of the Narendra Modi Government. He also said that Badarpur Thermal Power Plant no longer suffered from coal shortage.He also spoke of the proposed 6 lane elevated corridor at the cost of 35,000 crore rupees to facilitate smooth traffic on NH 148A and the Delhi Mumbai Expressway Scheme with the outlay of 90,000 crore rupees.