The Vande Bharat Express connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri, the gateway to the Northeast, as well as several development projects will be virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Prime Minister Modi, who was to flag off the train and launch development projects worth Rs 7,800 crore in the state, had to rush to Ahmedabad to attend the last rites of his mother Hiraben, who died earlier this morning.
"PM @narendramodi will join today's scheduled programmes in West Bengal via video conferencing. These programmes include the launch of key connectivity-related projects and the meeting of the National Ganga Council," the PMO tweeted.
The projects that are to be launched include multiple sewerage infrastructure projects worth over Rs 2,550 crore.
The Joka-Taratala stretch of Kolkata Metro's Purple line, and several other railway projects including redevelopment work at the New Jalpaiguri railway station are also supposed to be inaugurated on Friday.
A National Institute of Water and Sanitation named after BJP ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee is to be inaugurated as well.
Modi will virtually chair the second meeting of the National Ganga Council (NGC) in Kolkata.
PM Modi's Mother Hiraben Passes Away
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Hiraben passed away at a hospital in Ahmedabad early on Friday. She was 99. A bulletin from the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, where she was admitted on Wednesday after her health deteriorated, shared the news of her demise. "Hiraben Modi passed away on 30/12/2022 at 3.30 am during the treatment at U N Mehta Heart Hospital", the medical bulletin said.
The prime minister reached the residence of his brother Pankaj Modi at Raysan village on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, where the mortal remains of his mother were kept.
PM Modi arrived at the airport here in the morning and was driven straight to the house of his younger brother.
He offered floral tributes to his mother and bowed down at her feet. Later, PM Modi shouldered her mortal remains on way to the cremation ground for her last rites.
Earlier, the prime minister tweeted that "a great journey of 100 years" has ended with his mother’s demise.
"A great journey of 100 years has come to an end. I have witnessed three qualities in mother, a journey like that of a tapasvi (saint), a selfless worker and life dedicated to values," Modi tweeted.
"When I met her on her 100th birthday she told one thing which I always remember. "Kam karo buddhi thi, jivan jivo suddhi thi" (work using your brain and live life with purity," he said in the tweet.
PM Modi had visited the hospital to inquire about his mother's health on Wednesday after learning about her condition. After spending over an hour at the hospital on that day, the PM had left for Delhi after doctors informed him that her health was stable. He had also spoken to doctors at the hospital, a government-funded autonomous medical facility.
Hiraben, also called Hiraba, lived at Raysan village with PM Modi's younger brother. The prime minister regularly visited Raysan and spent time with his mother during most of his Gujarat visits.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar offered tributes to the prime minister's mother.
"Narendra Bhai , I am deeply saddened to know about passing away of your mother. It's an irreparable loss of a irreplaceable person in life ! Please accept my sincere condolences on her loss. May her soul rest in eternal peace," Pawar said.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a tweet, "I am deeply pained by the passing away of Smt. Heera-ba, the mother of our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. I express my heartfelt condolences to the Prime Minister and his entire family in this hour of grief." "My deepest condolences to Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji and family. We offer our tributes to the mother who gave inspiration of Karmayoga to her son, who is working hard to transform the nation. May her soul attain sadgati. Om Shanti," he said in another tweet.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)