PM to visit Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh on March 30

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh on Sunday during which he will lay the foundation stone, initiate commencement of work and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects.

Modi will travel to Nagpur and at around 9 am on Sunday, he will undertake darshan at Smruti Mandir and thereafter visit Deekshabhoomi, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

At around 10 am, he will lay the foundation stone of Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre at Nagpur and address a public meeting. At around 12:30 pm, he will inaugurate the Loitering Munition Testing Range and Runway facility for UAVs at Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited in Nagpur.

Further, the prime minister will travel to Bilaspur and at around 3:30 pm, he will lay the foundation stone, initiate commencement of work and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 33,700 crore. He will also address a public meeting.

In Maharashtra, coinciding with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Pratipada program, marking the beginning of the Hindu New Year, Prime Minister Modi will undertake darshan at Smruti Mandir and pay homage to the founding fathers of the RSS.

He will also visit Deekshabhoomi and pay homage to Dr B.R. Ambedkar where he embraced Buddhism along with thousands of his followers in 1956.

Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone of Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, a new extension building of Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute and Research Centre.

The institute was founded in memory of Guruji Shri Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar. The upcoming project will feature a 250-bed hospital, 14 outpatient departments (OPDs), and 14 modular operation theatres, with an aim to provide affordable and world-class eye care services to the people, the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi will visit the Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited's ammunition facility in Nagpur. He will inaugurate the newly built 1250m long and 25m wide airstrip for Unarmed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the live munition and warhead testing facility to test the Loitering Munition and other guided munitions.

In Chhattisgarh, Modi will inaugurate, lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects related to power, oil and gas, rail, road, education and housing sectors worth over Rs 33,700 crore in Bilaspur.

The prime minister has been committed to improving the power sector across the country, the statement said. In line with this, multiple steps will be undertaken in providing affordable and reliable power and making Chhattisgarh self-reliant in power generation.

He will lay the foundation stone of NTPC's Sipat Super Thermal Power Project Stage-III (1x800MW), located in Bilaspur district, worth over Rs 9,790 crore. This pit head project is based on the latest state of the art Ultra-Supercritical Technology with high power generation efficiency.

He will initiate the commencement of work of First Super Critical Thermal Power Project (2X660MW) of Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company Limited (CSPGCL) worth over Rs 15,800 crore.

The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation three power transmission projects of POWERGRID under Western Region Expansion Scheme (WRES) worth over Rs 560 crore.

In line with India's net-zero emission goals, reducing air pollution and providing cleaner energy solutions, Modi will lay the foundation stone of City Gas Distribution (CGD) project of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) in Korea, Surajpur, Balrampur and Surguja districts.

It includes over 200 km high pressure pipeline and over 800 km MDPE (Medium Density Polyethylene) pipeline and multiple CNG dispensing outlets worth over Rs 1,285 crore.

He will also lay the foundation stone of Visakh-Raipur Pipeline (VRPL) Project of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) spanning 540 km worth over Rs 2210 crore. This multi-product (petrol, diesel, kerosene) pipeline will have a capacity of over 3 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum, the statement said.

With a focus on improving connectivity in the region, Modi will lay the foundation stone of seven railway projects with a total length of 108 km and dedicate to the nation three railway projects with a total length of 111 km, worth over Rs 2,690 crore.

He will flag off the MEMU train service in the Abhanpur-Raipur section via Mandir Hasaud. He will also dedicate 100% electrification of the rail network of Indian Railways in Chhattisgarh.

These projects will reduce congestion, improve connectivity, and enhance social and economic growth across the region, the statement said.

Enhancing the road infrastructure in the region, Modi will dedicate to the nation the upgraded Jhalmala to Sherpar section of NH-930 (37 Km) and Ambikapur-Pathalgaon section of NH-43 (75 Km) to 2 Laning with paved shoulder.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the upgradation of Kondagaon- Narayanpur section of NH-130D(47.5Km) to 2 Lane with paved shoulder. These projects worth over Rs 1,270 crore will significantly improve accessibility to tribal and industrial regions leading to holistic development of the region, the statement said.

Modi will dedicate two flagship educational initiatives, 130 PM SHRI Schools across 29 districts in the state and Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) at Raipur.

The statement said 130 schools will be upgraded under the PM Schools for Rising India scheme. These schools will help in providing high-quality education through well-structured infrastructure, smart boards, modern laboratories, and libraries.

VSK in Raipur will enable online monitoring and data analysis of various education related government schemes.

Griha Pravesh of 3 lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) will also be held and Modi will hand over the keys to some beneficiaries under the scheme.