New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a visit to Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the celebration of National Panchayati Raj Day at around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and address all the gram sabhas across the country.


He will visit Palli panchayat in Samba district.


He will also inaugurate a 500 KW solar power plant at Palli, which will make it the country’s first panchayat to become carbon neutral.


Prime Minister Modi will hand over SVAMITVA cards to beneficiaries under the scheme.


He will also transfer award money to the panchayats, which are winners of awards given across different categories on the National Panchayati Raj Day for their achievements.


Prime Minister Modi will also visit the INTACH photo gallery, which depicts the rural heritage of the region, and Nokia Smartpur, a rural entrepreneurship-based model designed to create ideal smart villages in India.


He will during the visit inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth around Rs 20,000 crore.


Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel, built at a cost of over Rs 3100 crore.


The 8.45 km long tunnel would reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km and reduce the journey time by around one and a half hour.


It is a twin tube tunnel – one for each direction of travel – with the twin tubes being interconnected by a cross passage every 500 meter for maintenance and emergency evacuation. The tunnel would help establish an all-weather connection between Jammu and Kashmir, and bring the two regions closer.


Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone of three road packages of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, being built at a cost of over Rs. 7500 crore.


“They are for the construction of 4/6 lane access controlled Delhi-Katra-Amritsar Expressway from: Balsua on NH-44 to Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar;  Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar to Jakh, Vijaypur; and Jakh, Vijaypur to Kunjwani, Jammu with spur connectivity to Jammu Airport,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a release.


Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Ratle and Kwar Hydroelectric projects.


The 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project will be constructed on Chenab river in Kishtwar District at a cost of around Rs 5,300 crore.


The 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project will also be built on Chenab river in Kishtwar District at a cost of over Rs 4,500 crore. Both projects will help meet the power requirements of the region.


In order to further expand the network of Jan Aushadi Kendras in Jammu and Kashmir and to make good quality generic medicines at affordable prices available, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate to the nation 100 Kendras that have been made functional.


These Kendras are located in the remote corners of the Union Territory. 


With a view to ensure rejuvenation of water bodies, Prime Minister Modi will also launch a new initiative named Amrit Sarovar.


It is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country. It is yet another ode of the government towards the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.