There can be no New India without New Tamil Nadu, the prime minister said in an address after dedicating a memorial for APJ Abdul Kalam to the nation in Rameswaram.

Rameswaram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wooed Tamil Nadu with promise of every assistance in its economic progress.

Reaching out to the Tamil Nadu government and its people, Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation, an impressive memorial for Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at his burial site. After dedicating the memorial to the nation, Modi said he was very emotional as he opened the memorial located at Pei Karumbu at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district, where Dr Kalam was laid to rest two years ago.

The importance Modi gave to Dr Kalam, who went onto become a very popular President, gave certainly pleased the people of the region and state. ““Last year, we had taken a decision to build a fitting memorial for him. Now I feel proud that we have achieved what he had set out to. The DRDO deserves praise for completing the memorial in such a short time,” the prime minister said.

It is because there is a government in New Delhi that has changed the way government worked and finished projects on schedule. He also mentioned in particular the road link to Dhanushkodi that went without a road for over 50 years.

On Thursday the Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi road on NH 87 was one of the several TN oriented projects the prime minister inaugurated.

If Modi gave tremendous importance to Dr Kalam, he also took particular care to mention Amma a few times, drawing applause from the crowd. “Had Amma been here, she would have been very happy and blessed us,” Modi said.

In a speech lasting nearly an hour, the prime minister promised all help to Tamil Nadu to help its economic development and progress.

“If the Tamil Nadu government came to the central government with specific proposals for housing for poor, we are ready to support it fully,” Modi said. He asked the state government to come with proposal for 8 lakh houses for the poor and the centre will consider them under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

“I am thankful for TN chief minister’s acknowledgement of centre’s assistance and promise that centre’s assistance for Tamil Nadu will continue,” Modi said.

Responding to TN Chief Minister Edapaddi Palanisami plea for help for TN’s fisherfolk, the prime minister said he acknowledged the problem faced by the fishermen who cross into other nation’s territorial waters while fishing – inadvertently. With a view to help the fishermen, the government has come out with a scheme to give loans to buy big trawlers to go for deep sea fishing, Modi said.

The Prime Minister distributed sanction letters to five beneficiaries of long liner trawlers under Blue Revolution scheme to five beneficiaries. According to Modi, fishermen who face problems while fishing in the waters of other countries can now go for deep sea fishing under the Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries scheme.

Tamil Nadu fishermen are arrested by Sri Lankan Navy for fishing in their waters and the state government had wanted central assistance for encouraging the fishermen to resort to deep sea fishing.

Prime Minister Modi unleashed a slew of projects for Tamil Nadu – housing for poor, fishermen issue, improving road and rail connectivity to Rameswaram and within Rameswaram.

“A New India, without New Tamil Nadu is not possible. Which is why, the central government is helping the state with funds,” the Prime minister said.

Tamil Nadu youth were in the forefront of taking the benefit of Stand Up India, Make in India schemes, the prime minister said. Also, one eighth of all beneficiaries of the Mudra scheme were people from Tamil Nadu, Modi said.

By Shradha Sethu express train, Rameswaram to Ayodhya, two great cities have been linked with a train service and “I am happy to be a part of the process”, Modi said.

“I am also happy to dedicate Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi road to the nation,” Modi said.

Modi spoke in Hindi but his speech was translated into Tamil by party leader H Raja.

TN acting governor, C Vidyasagar Rao, CM Edapaddi Palanisami, MOS commerce and industry, Nirmala Seetharaman, MOS surface transport and highways, Pon Radhakrishnan, TN finance minister D Jayakumar finance minister were among those present on the occasion. NDA vice presidential candidate M Venkaiah Naidu delivered the welcome address.