Ahead of the 2024 assembly elections in Hindi heartland states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of approximately 50 projects worth around Rs 50,000 crore.
The inauguration spree will occur during the Prime Minister’s two-day tour of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan beginning Friday.
The government aims to roll out these projects in the next eight to nine months, starting this week, to showcase its achievements in infrastructure development across the country.
Presentation
Earlier last week, the infrastructure ministries presented a timeline for the inauguration and foundation stone-laying of nearly 900 projects, a Times of India report said.
These projects, with a total investment of over Rs 13 lakh crore, are planned to be completed before the model code of conduct for the 2024 general elections kicks in.
Special attention will be given to completing and inaugurating projects in states with upcoming assembly polls such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The presentation revealed that while 560 projects costing approximately Rs 7.6 lakh crore will be inaugurated by February-March 2024, foundation stones for the remaining 350-odd projects with an investment of around Rs 5.6 lakh crore, will also be laid.
Of the 560-odd projects slated for inauguration, around 200 projects are ready for inauguration, with another 200 expected to be ready by the end of 2023.
Among these projects are 60-65 ‘signature projects’, which are either high-cost projects (over Rs 5,000 crore) or of strategic importance. These include Chenab Bridge, Pamban Railway Bridge, Sone Bridge, Dwarka Expressway, Ankleshwar-Baroda stretch of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
PM’s Tour
Prime Minister Modi’s tour will begin in Raipur, where he will lay the foundation stone and dedicate multiple projects, including the six-lane section of the Raipur-Vishakhapatnam NH corridor.
He will then proceed to Gorakhpur, where he will attend a programme at the Gita Press and flag off Vande Bharat trains on three routes. Additionally, he will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the Gorakhpur Railway Station.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Varanasi, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various projects. These projects include the four-laned Varanasi-Jaunpur section of NH-56, as well as the renovation of Manikarnika Ghat and Harishchandra Ghat.
Following this, on the second day, he will proceed to Warangal in Telangana. There, he will lay the foundation stone for projects such as the Nagpur-Vijayawada corridor. Lastly, he will visit Bikaner in Rajasthan.