Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to residents of Giu village in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti after the area was connected to the mobile network for the first time.
In a more than 13-minute telephonic conversation with them, PM Modi spoke about his visit to the border region during Diwali and asserted that connecting the village with the mobile network will quicken the 'Digital India' campaign.
The government is now prioritising linking all places with communication technology after meeting success with the electrification exercise, the prime minister said, noting that when he came to power more than 18,000 villages lacked electricity.
A villager told him that they could not believe it for a moment when they were told that the area would be connected to the mobile network and their happiness knew know no bounds when it finally happened.
They had to earlier travel for around eight kilometres to use their mobile-phones, he said.
PM Modi highlighted his government's efforts to boost development in border areas under the 'Vibrant Village Programme (VVP)', saying the earlier dispensations left these regions to their fate.
In his third term, he will focus on people's quality of life after prioritising their ease of living so far and this will immensely benefit remote regions, the poor and the middle class, PM Modi said.
The region will also benefit a lot from the 'One District One Product' programme, he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Dangers On Duty: Stopping Violence Against Doctors
Independence Day 2024: When And Where To Watch PM Narendra Modi's Speech 2 National Highways Among 197 Roads Shut In Himachal Due To Heavy Rain When PM Modi Held The Umbrella For Farmers 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court "Want To Ask Congress...": Mamata Banerjee Snaps At Ally In Rape-Murder Case "Reclaim The Night": Women Seek Justice In Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case NASA To Decide Stranded Starliner Astronauts' Route Home By End Of Month Mob Vandalises Hospital During Protest Over Kolkata Horror 8 Of Family Hospitalised After Consuming Wild Mushroom In Jharkhand: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.