Overview of PM Modi’s 3-Day Visit to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, WB & UP

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh from 8th to 10th March 2024. During the visit, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects.

Highlights of PM’s Visit to Assam

On 9th March 2024, PM Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation, and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 17500 crore at Jorhat, Assam. The projects encompass the sectors of health, oil and gas, rail and housing.

• During his visit, he unveiled the statue of Lachit Borphukan in Assam.
• He also visited the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, a UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site known for its one-horned rhinoceroses.

Details of the New Projects:

i.PM Modi laid the foundation stone for several projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme. These projects include the Medical College & Hospital at Sivasagara and a Hemato-Lymphoid Centre in Guwahati.

ii.He also dedicated to the nation a new Medical College and Hospital at Tinsukia.

iii.PM Modi laid the foundation stone for

• The capacity expansion of Digboi Refinery from 0.65 to 1 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA).
• Installation of a Catalytic Reforming Unit (CRU).
• Augmentation of Facilities at Betkutchi (Guwahati) Terminal by Indian Oil Corporation Limited(IOCL).

iv.He also inaugurated the 718 Kilometre (Km) long Barauni – Guwahati Pipeline, built at a cost of about Rs 3,992 crore. It is a part of Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project.

v.PM dedicated important railway projects worth more than Rs 1300 crore in Assam. These projects include,

• The Dhupdhara-Chhaygaon section, a part of the New Bongaigaon – Guwahati Via Goalpara Doubling Project.
• The New Bongaigaon – Sorbhog Section, a part of the New Bongaigaon – Agthori Doubling Project.

vi.PM Modi inaugurated about 5.5 lakh homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), constructed at a total cost of about Rs 8,450 crore.

Statue of Lachit Borphukan in Assam

PM Narendra Modi unveiled a ‘Statue of Valour’, a 125-foot tall bronze statue of Lachit Borphukan, an Ahom general, in Jorhat, Assam at the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project in Hollongapar near Teok.

• The Chief Minister(CM) of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma was also present during the event.

About the Statue:

i.The pedestal height is 41 feet and the statue height is 84 feet totalling 125 feet.

ii.The foundation stone for the statue was laid by then-President Ram Nath Kovind in February 2022.

About Lachit Bophukan

i.Lachit Borphukan was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom from 1228-1826.

ii.He led the Ahom forces to victory against the Mughal forces led by Raja Ramsingh-1 in the 1671 ‘Battle of Saraighat’, preventing the Mughals from re-taking control of Assam.

Points to note:

i.PM-DeVINE Scheme was announced in the Union Budget for 2022-2023. The scheme is funded entirely by the government of India.

• Objectives: To develop infrastructure and address social needs in the North Eastern Region (NER), to create livelihood opportunities, and to bridge development gaps in various sectors as per PM GatiShakti’s vision.

ii.Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project, launched in 2016, is also known as the Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline Project. This aims to cater to the energy requirements of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and WB.

The project is being implemented by the Gas Authority of India Limited(GAIL).

iii.PMAY-G was launched on 1st April 2016 by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). It is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to provide permanent housing with basic amenities to rural homeless households and those living in dilapidated homes.

Highlights of PM’s Visit to Arunachal Pradesh:

PM Narendra Modi participated in the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit North East program’ at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. During the visit,

i.PM Modi inaugurated the Sela Tunnel and launched a new Industrial Development Scheme for the North East named UNNATI(Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme).

ii.He inaugurated, dedicated, and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crore in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh.

iii.He Laid the foundation stone for the Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh.

v.He Inaugurated Sabroom Land Port to facilitate the movement of passengers and cargo between India and Bangladesh.

vi.He released the coffee table book – Building Viksit Arunachal

Inauguration of Sela Tunnel

On the 9th March 2024, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sela Tunnel, constructed at a cost of about Rs 825 crore, in Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh.  It will provide ‘all-weather’ connectivity to the Tawang region.

Note: PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the project in February 2019.

Significance:

i.The location of the tunnel is important because it’s close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• This makes it easier to reach areas that are prone to severe weather and difficult terrain.

ii.Sela Pass is often closed due to snowfall and landslides, making it difficult to reach Tawang.

• It will provide year-round access, helping the Indian Army be better prepared for action in these areas.

Features:

i.The project encompasses two tunnels and 8.780 km of approach road. spanning around 12 km in total. The total length of the project, including tunnels, approach roads, and link roads, will span around 12 km.

• The 1st tunnel is 980 meters long and the 2nd tunnel is 1.5 km long with an emergency escape tube.

ii.It has been built beneath the Sela Pass, which connects the Tawang district to the rest of Arunachal Pradesh.

iii.The tunnel will become the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude of 13,000 feet.

iv.It is situated on the road that connects Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

v.It is constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM)

Launch of UNNATI

PM Narendra Modi launched a new industrial development scheme called UNNATI (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme) during the program.

• The scheme will provide incentives for capital investment, interest subvention, and a manufacturing and services-linked incentive to approved units

About the scheme:

i.The scheme is worth Rs 10,037 Crore over 10 years and covers all eight North Eastern States.

ii.A portal has also been created to facilitate easy and transparent registration of eligible units.

iii.UNNATI aims to boost the industrial ecosystem in Northeast India, attract investment, create new units, and increase employment opportunities in the states.

• This will help catalyze industrial development, leading to economic growth and development in the region.

Details of Development Projects:

Arunachal Pradesh:

PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects in Arunachal Pradesh worth Rs 41000 Crore.

i.PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in the Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh

• The project costs over Rs 31,875 crore and is the highest dam in the country.

ii.He also laid the foundation stone for several road, environment and tourism projects under the ‘Vibrant Village Programme’.

iii.He also laid the foundation for the upgradation of schools into 50 Golden Jubilee schools with modern infrastructure facilities.

iii. He also dedicated about 1100 projects of Jal Jeevan Mission and 170 telecom towers under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), benefiting more than 300 villages

iii.PM Modi handed over more than 35,000 houses constructed at a cost of Rs 450 crores under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (both Urban and rural) to the beneficiaries.

Inauguration of Sabroom Land Port:

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Sabroom Land Port which is built at a Cost of  Rs 230 crore in South Tripura district, Tripura.

About the Land Port

i.Sabroom Land Port is a new port at the India-Bangladesh border with facilities like the Passenger Terminal Building, Cargo Administrative Building, Warehouse, fire station building, electrical substation, and pump house.

ii.It will facilitate direct movement of passengers and cargo to Chittagong port in Bangladesh, which is only 75 Km away. The Prime Minister laid its foundation stone in March 2021.

Highlights of PM’s Visit to West Bengal

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple developmental projects in the rail and road sector worth more than Rs 4500 crores during the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit West Bengal Programme’ in Siliguri, West Bengal.

Details of the projects:  

i.PM Modi dedicated to the nation multiple projects of electrification of rail lines which include, Eklakhi – Balurghat section; Barsoi – Radhikapur section; Raninagar Jalpaiguri – Haldibari section; Siliguri – Aluabari section via Bagdogra; and Siliguri – Sivok – Alipurduar Jn – Samuktala (including Alipurduar Jn – New Cooch Behar) section.

ii.He also dedicated the projects for doubling of railway line in the Manigram – Nimtita section

iii.Automatic block signalling in Ambari Falakata – Aluabari including electronic Interlocking in New Jalpaiguri

iv.PM also flagged off a new passenger train service between Siliguri and Radhikapur.

v.PM Modi inaugurated two National Highway(NH) projects worth Rs. 3,100 crores which includes,

• Four-lane Ghospukur – Dhupguri Section of National Highway (NH 27) – Part of the North-South transport corridor connecting Eastern India with the rest of the country
• Four-lane Islampur Bypass on NH 27.

Highlights of PM’s Visit to Uttar Pradesh

Prime Minister inaugurated, dedicated, and laid the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth more than Rs 42,000 crores.

Inaugurated 15 airport projects worth ~ Rs 9800 crore:

PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of new terminal buildings of 15 airport across India worth more than Rs 9800 crores. These projects includes,

i.12 new terminal buildings at Pune, Kolhapur, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Delhi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad, Shravasti, and Adampur airports

• These airports will have a combined capacity to serve 620 Lakh passengers per annum.

ii.3 Terminal buildings at Kadapa, Hubballi, and Belagavi airports

• These airports will have a combined capacity to handle 95 Lakh passengers per annum

Note: The new terminal buildings are designed with modern passenger amenities and sustainability features like insulated roofing, energy-saving canopies, and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting. The airports’ designs reflect the local culture and heritage of the region.

Launch of Light House Project:

The Light House Project (LHP) is an initiative developed to provide affordable housing for all. The project has been launched in several cities, including Ranchi and Lucknow.

• The Light House Projects in Chennai, Rajkot, and Indore have already been inaugurated by the Prime Minister on January 1, 2021.
• The construction technology in these projects aims to create sustainable and futuristic homes for families.

Lighthouse Project in Lucknow

The Light House Project in Lucknow was built using Canada’s Stay in Place Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Formwork along with a Pre-Engineered Steel Structural System.

Lighthouse Project in Ranchi

The Light House Project in Ranchi uses advanced construction technology from Germany called the Precast Concrete Construction System – 3D Volumetric technology.

• This project is unique because each room is built separately and then assembled like Lego blocks.

Launch of Other Projects

About Assam
Chief Minister- Himanta Biswa Sarma
Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria
National Park– Orang National Park; Dehing Patkai National Park;  Raimona National Park
Wildlife Sanctuary– Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary; Panidihing Wildlife Sanctuary

About Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Minister- Pema Khandu
Governor – Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik
Wildlife Sanctuary– Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary; Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary
Tiger Reserve– Namdapha Tiger Reserve; Pakhui Tiger Reserve; Kamlang Tiger Reserve