"I am delighted to be here today in Panipat on the happy occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony of an elevated highway at Panipat. On this happy occasion, I convey my best wishes to the people of Haryana. I also convey my best wishes to the people of this proud, historic city of Panipat.

Roads are the lifeline of a nation and its people. They are the arteries through which trade and commerce flow. They are the links, which join us to our neighbours, other regions and other countries. They are the highways to prosperity and progress. Roads connect farmers to markets. Roads connect consumers to sellers. Roads connect people to their place of employment. Roads connect villages to towns and towns to big cities. They bring jobs closer to our homes. Roads create new income opportunities. Roads encourage new industries. Even now, every village has a memory of the day when the first school was opened in the village; when the first dispensary was opened in the village; and when the first road was laid to the village. This is why the UPA government gives the highest priority to roads, schools and hospitals.

We have started a programme called Bharat Nirman through which we will, by 2009, connect every village with a 'pucca' road; connect every village with a telephone; provide good drinking water in every habitation; provide reliable electricity in every village; and create irrigation potential across the country. And this will be done in four years. I am sure that Haryana too will benefit from this massive programme and we will see Haryana's villages transformed by this investment.

The people of Haryana have a special place in our hearts and minds. You have in fact earned an even more special place by giving the Congress Party and Bhupinder Singh Hoodaji an opportunity to serve you. The UPA Government is committed to the rapid development of Haryana and its people. The initiation of this project will fulfill an old requirement of the people of Panipat. The elevated highway project will decongest Panipat city. While long distance traffic will pass unhindered on the elevated highway, the local city traffic will move safely at ground level without being affected by heavy traffic. It will also reduce travel time between Delhi and the region around it. This will benefit Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and other states. It will lead to the overall development of Panipat and adjoining area and boost the economy of this region. I am, therefore, happy to visit Panipat and be associated with this major development project in road sector. I also compliment Hoodaji and the MP, Shri Arvind Sharmaji, who have worked to ensure that this project materializes soon.

I have repeatedly said that our country needs world-class infrastructure. We have set for ourselves a growth target of 8 to 10% over the coming years. For this we need greater investment in infrastructure in roads, ports, telecommunication, airports, railways and power. Good infrastructure promotes industry and trade. India has one of the largest road networks in the world. Our Government has given highest priority to the development of both National Highways and rural roads.

The UPA Government is investing over Rs.1,80,000 crores on our road network. We are also providing funds to State Governments to improve state highways and other roads. National Highways are being 4 and 6 laned right across the country. Most of these works will be taken up on the basis of Public Private Partnership. In the last one year, we have awarded contracts for four laning of nearly 5500 kms of National Highways. This is the highest ever since the start of the National Highways Development Programme.

I am extremely happy that the state government is giving a lot of priority to road and infrastructure development. Haryana is also a beneficiary of our efforts. In Haryana, about 300 kms of National Highways are being taken up for widening to four and six lanes. We have begun preparatory work on the four laning of the Delhi Hissar portion of NH - 10 going via Rohtak. We will be awarding the contract by the year-end and in 2-3 years, people from Hissar and Rohtak will be able to travel comfortably on a world-class road to Delhi. We will also expedite work on an elevated road at Badarpur so that travel time to Faridabad is also reduced. We will also expedite work on the extension of the Delhi Metro to Gurgaon. We will examine its extension to other places. All these projects, when completed, will give a big boost to the industrial and agricultural sectors and promote the economic development of the region.

The development of Haryana is a priority for us. This state has been a leader in the Green Revolution and its farmers have been in the forefront of our battle for food security. You have ensured that this country is self sufficient in food and I salute the farmers of Haryana for their enterprise and their hard work. It is now time for the state and its people to move to the next stage of development. You need to diversify away from rice and wheat to horticulture and floriculture so that you have better incomes. You need to have more industries, which can provide high wage employment. You need new knowledge industries, which can take you to the cutting edge of development. For this you need to invest in high-class educational facilities. You need more doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects and professionals. You have an extremely important advantage - as the neighbours of Delhi. You should capitalize on it and develop knowledge cities and other centers, which can link their prosperity to the growth of Delhi. And having excellent transport connections with Delhi will certainly help.

We will provide all possible assistance for the development of Haryana - its cities, towns and villages. We will assist Panchkula so that its infrastructure becomes comparable to Chandigarh. We will examine the possibility of making available additional power to Haryana from power projects in other states. As and when we move to the next phase of development of nuclear power, we will consider setting up an atomic power plant at Kumharia. All these measures will help reduce the power problem of the state. We will also try to generate a consensus among states so that projects like the Kishan Dam can be taken up soon for the benefit of farmers of the state.

I wish you all well on this happy occasion. I once again congratulate NHAI and the government of Haryana for their efforts. My best wishes for your progress and prosperity. Arvind Sharmaji has talked of a Medical College. In this connection, I would like to say that we will find out a viable solution to establish a Medical College in the memory of Kalpana Chawla through NASA's assistance."