PM Modi praises MP CM for shedding 'BIMARU' tag

Praising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the state progressed even though the previous regimes had ensured that the state does not shed its 'BIMARU' tag.

"Despite previous governments not helping it to come out of the BIMARU states list, Madhya Pradesh, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has progressed at a rapid pace and shown a direction to the country," Modi said while addressing party workers at the airport in Indore.

'BIMARU', which means sick, was an acronym formed in the 80s from the initial letters of the names of four states - Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Modi arrived in Indore on his first official visit after becoming the Prime Minister to inaugurate the state government's ambitious Global Investors Summit (GIS).

In his brief address, the the 64-year-old Prime Minister recalled the party's journey from Jansangh to BJP and said that since beginning the party's aim was to ensure progress of Dalits and poor people.

"We have to strive hard to ensure that India becomes world guru as people have given us a big mandate. We are more duty bound to ensure the country's progresses at a rapid pace," Modi said.

Praising the state's farmers, the Prime Minister said they had made tremendous progress by ensuring that the state retained the number two position in wheat production, while earlier it was dependent on others for its requirement.

On the occasion, he assured the CM that the Centre would give full-fledged support to the state in implementing development schemes.

Modi was accorded a warm welcome at the airport by CM Chouhan, BJP President for MP Nandkumar Singh Chouhan and local MLAs.

Addressing the party workers, Chouhan praised the Prime Minister's leadership and said that after Modi came to power, the country's self-confidence level had increased manifold with stock market showing an upward trend.

Praising Modi for his historic visit to the United States, the CM said it was like Swami Vivekanand's Chicago visit.