Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday that his government considers India's eastern region as the country's growth engine, while the area was considered backward earlier.
Addressing a gathering at the "Odisha Parba" event here, the prime minister said investments of Rs 45,000 crore have been approved within 100 days of the formation of a new government in the state.
"Odisha has always been a land of seers and scholars. The way the scholars here took our religious texts to every household and connected the public with those, it has played a crucial role in the cultural prosperity of India.
"There was a time when India's eastern region and the states there were called backward. However, I consider India's eastern region as the country's growth engine. That is why we have prioritised the development of India's eastern region," he said.
