New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the development works worth Rs 31,500 crore in Tamil Nadu at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Ahead of Modi laying the foundation stone, Chief Minister MK Stalin made a list of demands in front of PM Modi.
The PM, after laying foundation stones for a trail of development works, hailed Tamil Nadu's development. "We have gathered here to celebrate yet another glorious sector of Tamil Nadu's development journey, projects worth over Rs 31,000 crores are either inaugurated or foundation stones are laid. The focus on road construction is clearly visible," news agency ANI said, quoting PM Modi.
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PM Modi inaugurated 1,152 houses constructed under the Light House Project in Chennai. The project has been built at a cost of Rs 116 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna-Urban. Modi launched the Lighthouse projects on January 1, 2021, to use advanced technology to complete housing projects faster while making them more resilient.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stones for the redevelopment of five railway stations -- Chennai Egmore, Rameswaram, Madurai, Katpadi and Kanyakumari -- in Tamil Nadu. These stations will be redeveloped at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore. Besides, he laid foundation stones for the 75 km long Madurai-Teni (Railway Gauge Conversion Project), built at a cost of Rs 500 crore while the 30 Km long third railway line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu, which costs Rs 590 crore will boost suburban connection.
Meanwhile, Stalin, sharing a dais with Modi, urged the Centre to return the Central GST dues worth Rs 14,006 crore to Tamil Nadu. Sharing the dais with Modi, he appealed to the PM to give exemption from the NEET exam to Tamil Nadu. He also urged PM Modi to get back Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka to get our fishermen to fish freely within the limits of our country's sea.