Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday felicitated the 'shramjeevis', or workers who worked hard to build the new Pragati Maidan Complex or India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) complex in New Delhi. The felicitation came ahead of its inauguration on Wednesday evening. The Prime Minister thanked them for completing their work diligently and presented them with a shawl to honour them. PM Modi also performed pooja and havan at the redeveloped ITPO complex. The complex has been developed as a national project at a cost of about Rs 2,700 crore and has a campus area of approximately 123 acres, said Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
News agency ANI shared a visual from the complex that showed the Prime Minister interacting with the Shramjeevis and then later posing for a picture while sitting among them.
One of the 'shramjeevis' shared her experience with ANI and said that all of her hard work paid off. She expressed her happiness and said, "We are overjoyed that PM Modi met us and showed us so much respect. We worked very hard and today it paid off." Another 'Shramjeevi' said, "Earlier we saw PM Modi from afar, but today we met him in person. PM Modi gave us a shawl. We worked very hard in all sorts of weather and temperatures and even during Covid-19."
The IECC complex has been developed as India's largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination. In terms of the covered space available for events, the complex finds its place among the top exhibition and convention complexes of the world, the PMO said in a statement. It added that the complex comprises multiple state-of-the-art facilities including the convention centre, exhibition halls and amphitheatres among others.
The PMO then said that the new facility is in line with Modi's vision of having a world-class infrastructure for hosting meetings. ITPO complex will be the venue this year for G20 Leaders' Meeting which is slated to take place in September.