Jaipur, August 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday unveiled a 21-foot-tall statue and a memorial dedicated to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Nimbahera in Rajasthan, while launching and laying the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 6,453 crore across the state.
Shah unveiled the memorial on August 16, the death anniversary of Vajpayee, and recalled the former Prime Minister’s contribution to nation-first politics, good governance and development.
He congratulated BJP workers involved in the construction of the memorial and statue, which was built at a cost of more than Rs 1.5 crore.
From Alwar, Shah also conducted e-foundation stone laying and e-inauguration ceremonies for various development projects across 17 districts. These included the foundation stone for a new Alwar Saras Dairy plant with a processing capacity of three lakh litres per day. Four other dairy projects, involving an investment of Rs 274 crore, were also inaugurated electronically.
Shah said 944 development works worth Rs 5,755 crore were inaugurated or had their foundation stones laid across 15 districts on Sunday.
The Union Home Minister also highlighted financial assistance extended to farmers. Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Rs 152 crore was transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), while more than Rs 667 crore was released under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.
Under the Rozgar Utsav, appointment letters were handed over to 10,548 young people, he said.
Recalling Vajpayee’s political journey, Shah said the former Prime Minister embraced patriotism from an early age, became a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak, worked with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was elected to Parliament from Balrampur at the age of 33.
Shah said Vajpayee spent nearly four decades in Opposition between 1957 and 1996 but remained committed to nationalism and the principle of “Nation First”. He also recalled that Vajpayee faced imprisonment, police action and political pressure during his career without compromising on his principles.
Describing Vajpayee as the first non-Congress leader to become Prime Minister of India, Shah highlighted several major decisions taken during his tenure, including the Pokhran nuclear tests, which he said established India as a nuclear power despite international pressure.
He also credited Vajpayee’s government with expanding national highways and connecting villages through roads under the Golden Quadrilateral programme.
Shah further highlighted Vajpayee’s decision to establish a separate Ministry of Tribal Affairs, describing it as a significant step towards strengthening institutional focus on tribal communities.
The Union Home Minister also spoke about the progress made in Rajasthan in areas including tribal welfare, water supply and overall development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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