PM Modi marks 50th visit to Varanasi dedicating development projects worth ₹3,900 crore

In a two-hour visit to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay foundation stone and inaugurate 44 development projects worth ₹3,900 crore on Friday. This is his landmark 50th visit to Varanasi as prime minister – the highest ever by a sitting prime minister to his constituency.

 

Modi, who first contested from Varanasi in 2014, will be accompanied by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel.

 

The biggest of these projects are the new transmission lines and power substations in Sahupuri (Chandauli), Machlisher (Jaunpur) and Bhadora (Ghazipur). Worth ₹1,046 crore, when inaugurated, these projects will smoothen the wrinkles in the availability of power and also help in maintaining voltage.

 

 

Another project that will be flagged off is an underpass tunnel on NH 31 near the Lal Bahadur Shastri airport. This is worth ₹653 crore and will be built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Paramilitary forces shall be stationed at both ends and high-end security cameras will be installed.

 

Among other significant projects are smart classes in 77 primary schools, sculptures on all places of significance in Varanasi, a MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) unity mall, clean drinking water projects for 130 gram panchayats and a new transit hostel and barracks in the police lines.

 A bonus of ₹106 crore will also be given to milk producers associated with Banas Dairy (Amul Dairy).

Apart from this, the prime minister will give demo cards to five beneficiaries of the Prime Minister's Vaya Vandan Yojana – a pension scheme for senior citizens managed by the Life Insurance Corporation.

 

The projects will be unveiled at a public rally at Ring Road in Mehndiganj. To be held at 10 am, the rally is expected to draw a crowd of 30,000.

India