Siliguri, March 9 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that after independence, the development of Eastern India was ignored for a long time whereas his government considers it as the growth engine of the country's development.

Addressing a gathering here today, PM Modi asserted that before 2014, the average railway budget of Bengal was around Rs 4,000 crore which has now reached almost Rs 14,000 crore.

"After independence, the development of Eastern India was ignored for a long time. Whereas our government considers Eastern India as the growth engine of the country's development. Therefore, unprecedented investment is being made in the connectivity sector in this area. Before 2014, the average railway budget of Bengal was a...