Guwahati, Feb 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that no country could become a developed nation without giving importance to preserving its culture and tradition, and unlike the previous governments, the BJP has given a simultaneous thrust to development and preserving traditions.

Speaking at a public programme in Guwahati, PM Modi said the previous governments could not understand the power of pilgrimages of our country, and they forgot to preserve the traditions.

The Prime Minister said that no country could become a developed nation without giving importance to preserving its culture and tradition.

'The BJP has been doing the politics of 'Vikas' (development) and 'Virasat' (tradition). On one hand, we have brought back the pride of our pilgrimages which was forgotten in earlier regimes. The current government has also given immense importance towards development,' he said.

According to Modi, his government has constructed a record number of colleges and universities across the nation.

'The number of medical colleges in the country has doubled post 2014. Earlier, IITs and IIMs were built only in the big cities, but we have built a network of these premier institutions across the country,' he mentioned.

The Prime Minister took the example of Assam and said the state earlier had only six medical colleges. In the last 10 years, another six medical colleges were constructed.

He stated that the announcements were made in the latest Union budget to invest at least Rs 11 lakh crore in infrastructure development in the next one year.

'I want to mention that, prior to 2014, the central government used to spend Rs 12 lakh crore in infrastructure in 10 years. We have set a target to invest almost the equal amount of money in just one year,' Modi said.

He also mentioned that the steps taken for preserving the pilgrimages have given a boost to the tourism sector as well.

'After building the Kashi corridor, at least 8.5 crore devotees went there. It has been hardly 12 days that the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla was done and in these few days 24 lakh devotees visited Ayodhya,' the Prime Minister said.

He asserted that once the proposed Kamakhya temple corridor project gets completed in Guwahati, it will mesmerize the devotees coming from different parts of the globe and eventually the northeast will also become a hub of tourism.

The Prime Minister launched several key development projects in Assam on Sunday from the Veterinary College Playground in Khanapara in Guwahati.

The Assam government has planned to build the Kamakhya temple corridor in line with the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor project. Modi inaugurated this project along with the other key projects like a six-lane road from the new airport terminal in Guwahati and the upgradation of Nehru Stadium to FIFA standards.

PM Modi also launched the second edition of Asom Mala roads as well. This phase will cost Rs 3,444 crore in total and include 38 concrete bridges and 43 new roads.

He laid foundation stones for the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital's new, integrated facility, which would cost Rs 3,250 crore to build and the proposed Rs 297-crore Unity Mall in Guwahati and the Rs 578-crore Karimganj Medical College and Hospital.

The Prime Minister has inaugurated two recently built four-lane roads: one from Dolabari to Jamuguri, which cost Rs 592 crore, and the other from Biswanath Chariali to Gohpur, which cost Rs 1,451 crore.

In total, the Prime Minister has laid foundation stones or inaugurated projects worth more than Rs 11,000 crore in Assam.

/IANS