New Delhi/Dehradun, Dec 30 : Ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttarakhand scheduled early next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in the Himalayan state. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project which was first conceived in 1976 and was pending for many years. The roject is located on Yamuna river in Dehradun and Tehri districts. He also inaugurated and laid foundation for road sector projects worth Rs 8,700 crore. These road projects aim to realise the government's vision to improve connectivity in remote, rural and border areas. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will also get improved connectivity. Modi also laid the foundation for an AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre at Udham Singh Nagar and the Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh. The Prime Minister then laid the foundation for an aroma park at Kashipur, a plastic industrial park at Sitarganj and multiple other initiatives in the fields of housing, sanitation and drinking water supply across the state. Addressing the gathering, Modi said, "I have a long association with Kumaon and I thank the people of the region for honouring me with the Uttarakhandi cap." The Prime Minister said that the strength of the people of state will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. "Modern infrastructure is growing in Uttarakhand, Char Dham project and new rail routes are being built, and all this will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand," he said. He also referred to the strides made by Uttarakhand in the fields of hydro power, industry, tourism, natural agriculture and connectivity. Modi said that the foundation stones which have been laid today are like pledge stones that will be followed up with full resolve. "Deprivation and hassles of the past are now being converted into facilities and harmony. During the last seven years through 'Har Ghar Jal', Ujjwala scheme etc., women are getting new facilities and dignity," he said. Lambasting the previous governments, Modi said that delay in government schemes has been a permanent feature of those who were in power before. "The Lakhwar project, which started here in Uttarakhand today, has the same history. The project was first thought of in 1976. Today after 46 years, our government has laid the foundation stone for its work. This delay is nothing short of a crime," he said. /IANS