Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh from Friday to Saturday. During his visit to the northeastern states, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of several projects.
Welcoming PM Modi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted, "#ModiParivarAssam is thrilled to welcome our beloved Prime Minister Shri
@narendramodi ji to the land of Maa Kamakhya and Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev."
PM Modi will spend the night at Kaziranga. Locals were seen greeting PM Modi on his arrival.
On Saturday, at around 5.45 am, he will visit the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, a UNESCO world heritage site, and famous for the one-horned rhinoceros, elephants, wild water buffaloes, swamp deer and the Royal Bengal Tigers.
PM Modi To Dedicate To Nation Sela Tunnel In Arunachal Pradesh
After visiting the park, PM Modi will depart for Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar. In Itanagar, at 10.30 am, he will participate in the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit North East’ programme, where he will dedicate the Sela Tunnel to the nation.
The Sela Tunnel project, constructed at a cost of about Rs 825 crore, is an engineering marvel. It will provide all weather connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang across Sela pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang road. It has been constructed using the new Austrian tunneling method and incorporates safety features of the highest standards. The project will not only provide a faster and more efficient transport route in the region but is of strategic importance to the country. The foundation stone of Sela Tunnel was laid by PM Modi in February 2019, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
During the same programme, PM Modi will launch about Rs 10,000 crore worth Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme (UNNATI), and inaugurate, dedicate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crore in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
He will also lay the foundation stone of the Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley district. To be built at a cost of more than Rs 31,875 crore, it will be the highest dam structure in the country. It will generate power, help in flood moderation and lead to employment opportunities and socioeconomic development in the region, it said.
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PM Modi To Inaugurate Lachit Borphukan's Statue In Assam
Thereafter, the Prime Minister will reach Assam’s Jorhat at around 12.15 pm and will unveil the 84 feet high magnificent statue of Lachit Borphukan, the famous General of the Royal Army of the Ahom Kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughals. The project also included the construction of Lachit and Tai-Ahom Museum and a 500 seating capacity auditorium. The project is an effort to celebrate the valour of Lachit Borphukan and enhance awareness about him. It will also boost tourism and lead to generation of employment opportunities.
He will also participate in a public programme in Jorhat and inaugurate, dedicate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 17,500 crore, strengthening the health, oil and gas, rail and housing sectors in Assam, it added.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme including the Medical College and Hospital at Sivasagar and a Hemato-Lymphoid centre in Guwahati. He will also lay the foundation stone of important projects of the oil and gas sector including capacity expansion of Digboi and Guwahati refinery.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation important projects like the new medical Medical College and Hospital at Tinsukia and 718-km-long Barauni-Guwahati Pipeline built at a cost of about Rs 3,992 crore, among others.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate about 5.5 lakh homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), constructed at a total cost of about Rs 8,450 crore. PM Modi will also dedicate to nation important railway projects worth more than Rs 1,300 crore in Assam, it further said.
The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.