PM Modi on four-state tour to launch development projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day trip to four states from Thursday to launch numerous development projects, as he keeps up a busy itinerary touring different regions in the run up to the first anniversary of his third term in office.

Modi will visit Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on May 29 and 30, an official statement said.

He will begin the tour by attending the "Sikkim@50: Where Progress meets purpose and nature nurtures growth" programme on Thursday, and lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects in Sikkim before addressing the gathering.

In West Bengal, he will lay the foundation stone of City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts before inaugurating the new terminal building of Patna Airport in Bihar in the evening.

On Friday, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 48,520 crore in Karakat, Bihar and address a public meeting.

In UP, he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate development projects worth around Rs 20,900 crore at Kanpur Nagar and address a public function, the statement said.

Modi has toured states like Rajasthan and Gujarat and will be visiting more states ahead of his government's anniversary on June 9, the day he took oath in his third term last year.

In his speeches, he has mixed his development message with a tough message to Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.

Referring to his four-state tour, the statement said the Sikkim government has planned a year-long series of activities under the theme "Sunaulo, Samriddha and Samarth Sikkim", celebrating the essence of Sikkim's cultural richness, tradition, natural splendour and its history.

Projects to be launched by him include a new 500-bedded district hospital worth over Rs 750 crore in Namchi, passenger ropeway at Sangachoeling and statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Atal Amrit Udyan at Sangkhola in Gangtok.

The City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar will be a significant step towards expanding the CGD network in India, the statement said.

The project, worth over Rs 1010 crore, aims to provide piped natural gas to more than 2.5 lakh households, over 100 commercial establishments and industries besides providing compressed natural gas (CNG) to vehicular traffic by establishing around 19 CNG stations in line with the Minimum Work Program (MWP) targets stipulated by the government.

It will provide convenient, reliable, environment-friendly and cost-effective fuel supply and create employment opportunities in the region, the statement said.

The new terminal at Patna airport has been built at a cost of around Rs 1,200 crore and can handle one crore passengers per year.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the new civil enclave of Bihta airport worth over Rs 1,410 crore.

The projects to be launched in Karakat include Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project, Stage-II (3x800 MW) in Aurangabad district worth over Rs 29,930 crore, which will aim at ensuring energy security for Bihar and eastern India. It will boost industrial growth, create job opportunities, and provide affordable electricity in the region, the statement said.

The prime minister will also be laying the foundation stone for various road projects in the state besides the construction of a new Ganga bridge between Buxar and Bharauli.

In Uttar Pradesh, he will inaugurate the Chunniganj Metro Station to Kanpur Central Metro Station section costing worth over Rs 2,120 crore. It will include 14 planned stations with five new underground stations integrating key city landmarks and commercial hubs into the metro network.

The statement said he will also inaugurate road projects and lay the foundation stone of power and road projects among others.

He will distribute certificates and cheques to the beneficiaries of PM Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojna, National Livelihood Mission and PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the statement added.