Thiruvananthapuram: Referring to a remark made by Kerala Minister of Ports V N Vasavan about Gautam Adani during the inauguration ceremony of the Vizhinjam Port on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was heartening to see a Communist Minister referring to Adani as government partner and speaking in favour of giving importance to the private sector. He added that this is the changing face of India.

“It is heartening to see a Communist minister refer to Adani as a partner of the government and speak in favour of giving importance to the private sector. This is the changing face of India,” said the Prime Minister.

In his welcome address, Minister Vasavan had described Gautam Adani as a "partner of the government”.

An amount of Rs 11 crore has been disbursed to 2,976 individuals who were socially impacted by the Vizhinjam project. Welfare initiatives supported by Adani’s CSR fund, along with those led by the state government, are progressing steadily, Minister Vasavan had stated earlier.

“It is the determination of the Pinarayi government that brought the port project to completion. Vizhinjam proves that everything is possible even where it was once believed nothing could happen,” he added in his welcome speech.

“We must accord due consideration to private sector participation, including in the development of coastal regions. Over the past 10 years, public-private partnerships have attracted investments worth thousands of crores in the country. This collaboration will continue to be beneficial in the future as well,” said the Prime Minister.