Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar from 1st to 2nd March 2024.
- During his visit, PM Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects in Dhanbad in Jharkhand; Arambagh, Hooghly, and Krishnanagar, Nadia district, in West Bengal and Aurangabad, Bihar.
Highlights of PM’s visit to Jharkhand:
PM laid the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs35,700 crore in Jharkhand
On 1st March 2024, PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth Rs 35,700 crore in Sindri, Dhanbad district in Jharkhand.
Key People: C.P. Radhakrishnan, Governor of Jharkhand, Champai Soren, Chief Minister(CM) of Jharkhand and Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare were present at the event.
Rail Projects:
i.PM laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple rail projects worth Rs 17,600 crore in Jharkhand. These include:
- 3rd & 4th Lines connecting Sone Nagar-Andal.
- Tori- Shivpur 1st & 2nd and Biratoli- Shivpur 3rd railway line (part of Tori- Shivpur Project).
- Mohanpur – Hansdiha new rail line.
- Dhanbad-Chandrapura rail line.
ii.PM Modi also flagged off 3 trains:
- Deoghar-Dibrugarh train service connecting Baba Baidyanath Temple and Mata Kamakhya Shaktipeeth.
- MEMU(Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit) daily train service between Tatanagar and Badampahar.
- Long-haul freight train from Shivpur station.
iii.These projects will improve the rail services in Jharkhand and lead to socio-economic development in the region.
Additional info:
The 3rd line of Tori- Shivpur Project in Chatra and Latehar (Jharkhand) will boost the coal evacuation from the North Karanpura coalfields of CCL.
The coal corridor, stretching over 44.37 km with 6 intermediate stations, is designed to facilitate the evacuation of 100 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) of coal from existing mining projects. has a budget estimate of Rs 894 crore.
- It is designed to facilitate the evacuation of 100 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) of coal from existing mining projects.
- The project, With a capital outlay of Rs 894 Crore, will serve the existing coal mines and enhance evacuation capacity from upcoming commercial blocks.
Power Projects:
PM Modi inaugurated Unit-1(660 MW) of the North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Project(STPP), Chatra, Jharkhand. It is developed at a cost of more than Rs 75,00 crore.
i.The project will help to improve power supply in the region.
ii.It will generate better employment opportunities and can lead to socio-economic development in Jharkhand.
Project related to Coal Sector
i.Under the “Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Master Plan”, PM inaugurated the North Urimari Coal handling plant of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL), in Ramgarh district, Jharkhand.
ii.The plant with a capital outlay of Rs 292 crore will increase the coal dispatch capacity of 7.5 million tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) along with a coal storage capacity of 20,000 tonnes and a silo bunker of 4,000 tonnes.
PM dedicated to the nation HURL Sindri fertilizer Plant in Jharkhand
On 1st March 2024, PM Modi inaugurated the Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) Sindri Fertilizer Plant at Sindri, Dhanbad district of Jharkhand.
- It is the 3rd Fertilizer plant revived in India. Earlier, other two fertilizer plants revived in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh and Ramagudum, Telangana.
Key points:
i.The foundation of the HURL Sindri Fertilizer Plant was laid by PM Modi in 2018.
ii.The New Ammonia-Urea Plants at Sindri with a capacity of 2200 TPD Ammonia and 3850 TPD neem coated urea was developed at an investment of Rs 8939.25 crore.
iii.This is a part of the efforts taken by the Indian government to revive closed urea units of Fertilizer Corporation Of India Ltd. (FCIL) and Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HFCL) to achieve self-sufficiency in the urea sector.
iv.The Sindri plant will add 12.7 LMT per annum to indigenous urea production in India.
Additional info:PM Modi stated that the Talcher fertilizer plant will commence its operations in the next 18 months.
Note: HURL is a Joint Venture(JV) of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) namely, NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and CIL as lead promoters and FCIL and HFCL as partners.
Benefit:
i.It will supply urea to the farmers in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
ii.It will promote infrastructure development in the region and is estimated to generate 450 direct and 1000 indirect employment opportunities in Jharkhand
Highlights of PM’s visit to West Bengal:
PM Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for various development projects worth Rs 7200 crore in the Arambagh area of Hooghly district, West Bengal.
- These development projects are related to different sectors such as rail, ports, oil pipelines, LPG(Liquefied Petroleum Gas) supply and wastewater treatment.
Key People: PM Modi was accompanied by Dr C.V. Ananda Bose, Governor of West Bengal(WB) and Shantanu Thakur, Union Minister of State (MoS) of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Projects related to Wastewater Treatment
PM inaugurated 3 wastewater projects in West Bengal. These projects were developed at a cost of about Rs 600 crore and received financial assistance from the World Bank. These projects include:
i.Interception and Diversion(I&D) works and Sewage Treatment Plants(STPs) at Howrah, West Bengal with a capacity of 65 MLD(Minimal Liquid Discharge) and a 3.3 km long sewage network.
ii.I&D works and STPs at Bally, West Bengal with a capacity of 62 MLD and an 11.3 km long sewage network.
iii.I&D works and STPs at Kamarhati and Baranagar with a capacity of 60 MLD and 8.15 km long sewage network.
PM Modi inaugurated IOCL’s 518-km Haldia-Barauni Crude Oil Pipeline Project
PM Modi inaugurated a 518-km long Haldia-Barauni crude oil pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd(IOCL). It is developed at a cost of about Rs 2,790 crore.
i.This pipeline passes through 3 states which are: Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
ii.This pipeline will supply crude oil to Barauni Refinery(Begusarai, Bihar), Bongaigaon Refinery(Chirang district, Assam) and Guwahati Refinery(Assam) in a safe, cost-efficient and eco-friendly manner.
PM Inaugurated IOCL’s LPG Bottling Plant at Kharagpur, West Bengal
On 1st March 2024, PM inaugurated the LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Bottling plant of IOCL at Vidyasagar Industrial Park, Kharagpur, West Bengal This plant has a capacity of generating 120 TMTPA (Thousand Metric Tonnes Per Annum) of LPG.
i.It is developed at a cost of more than Rs 200 crore and also, it is the 1st ever LPG Bottling plant established in the region.
ii.It will supply LPG to about 14.5 lakh customers in West Bengal.
PM dedicated to the nation railway projects worth Rs 2, 680 crore in West Bengal
PM dedicated to the nation several rail projects worth Rs 2, 680 crore at Arambagh, West Bengal. These projects include:
i.Setting up of 3rd rail line of 90 km connecting Jhargram-Salgajhari will improve rail connectivity and promote tourism in the region.
ii.Doubling of 24 km long Sondalia-Champapukar rail line.
iii.Doubling of 9 km long Dankuni-Bhattanagar-Baltikuri rail line
These projects will enhance rail transport facilities and will provide seamless service for freight traffic.
Points to note:
i.PM highlighted that more than 3000 km of rail lines have been electrified in West Bengal.
ii.About 100 railway stations in West Bengal are being redeveloped under the Amrit station scheme.
iii.In the past 10 years, over 150 train services were introduced in West Bengal. this includes 5 new Vande Bharat Express.
iv.PM informed that for the development of railways in West Bengal, the Government of India has allocated Rs 13, 000 crore in the Interim Budget (2024-2025).
Infrastructure projects at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port:
i.PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several infrastructure projects at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata(West Bengal). The cumulative cost of these projects is about Rs 1,000 crores.
- These projects include the reconstruction of Berth No.8 NSD(Netaji Subhas Dock) and the mechanization of Berth No.7 and 8 with the Kolkata Dock system.
ii.PM Modi also dedicated to the nation the project for Augmentation of the fire fighting system at the Oil jetties of Haldia Dock Complex, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.
- the state-of-the-art fully automated facility is equipped with cutting edge gas and flame sensors for immediate hazard detection.
iii.He also inaugurated the 3rd Rail Line Mounted Quay Crane(RMQC) of Haldia Dock Complex with a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes.
Development projects worth Rs 15, 000 crore in Krishnagar, West Bengal
PM Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth Rs 15,000 crore in Krishnagar, Nadia district, West Bengal. The development projects are related to power, rail and road sector.
Key Projects:
i.PM inaugurated the Flue-Gas Desulfurisation(FGD) system of Units 7 and 8 at Meija Thermal Power Station located at Durlabhpur, West Bengal and is developed at a cost of Rs 650 crore.
ii.PM inaugurated the 4-laning of the 100 km long Farakka-Raiganj section of National Highway(NH)-12 and built at a cost of Rs 1986 crore.
iii.This will improve connectivity and help to reduce traffic congestion. It will give a boost to the socio-economic development of the region.
iv.PM laid the foundation stone of Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station Phase II(2×660 MW) located at Raghunathpur in Purlia district, West Bengal.
- It is a coal-based thermal power project of Damodar Valley Corporation(DVC) and has the potential to bring more investment of more than Rs 11,000 crore in the state.
Rail Projects:
PM dedicated to the nation 4 rail projects worth more than Rs 940 crore in West Bengal. These projects include:
i.Doubling of the Damodar-Mohishila line.
ii.3rd line established between Rampurhat and Murarai.
iii.Doubling of Bazarsau-Azimganj rail line
iv.New line connecting Azimganj and Murshidabad.
Highlights of PM’s visit to Bihar:
On 2nd March 2024, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated development projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Aurangabad district, Bihar. The development projects are related to sectors such as road, railway and Namami Gange, among others.
- The inaugural function was attended by Nitish Kumar, CM of Bihar, Rajendra V. Arlekar, Governor of Bihar, Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Deputy CMs of Bihar.
National Highway and Road Projects:
i.PM unveiled a National Highway project worth Rs18,100 crore. These projects include
- 63.4 km long two-lane Jaynagar-Narahia section of NH-227.
- Section of 6-lane Patna Ring road from Kanhauli to Ramnagar on NH-131G.
- 3.2 km long 2nd flyover parallel to existing one in Kishanganj town.
- 4-laning of 47-km long Bakhtiyarpur-Rajauli road
- 4-laning of 55-km long Arra-Parariya section of NH-319
ii.PM laid the foundation stone for 6 NH projects which include:
- Construction of 55-km long 4 lane road from Amas to Shivrampur.
- 54-km long four access controlled Green field National Highway road from Shivrampur to Ramnagar.
- 47-km long four access controlled Green field National Highway road from Kalyanpur to Balbhadpur.
- 42-km long four lane Greenfield road between Balbhadpur and Bela Nawada
- 25-km long elevated corridor from Danapur to Bihta section
- The upgradation of the existing two-lanes to a 4-lane carriageway of Bihta-Koilwar section are among these projects.
Benefit: These projects will enhance connectivity, reduce travel time, and promote tourism and lead to socio-economic development of the region.
- The road projects will provide benefits to cities such as Patna, Nalanda, Jahanabad, Gaya, Vaishali, Samastipur and Darbhanga.
iii.PM laid the foundation stone of the 6-lane bridge across the river Ganga as part of the Patna Ring road. This bridge will be one of the longest river bridges in India. This project will help to reduce traffic congestion which further improves connectivity between the North and South parts of Bihar.
Railway Projects in Bihar:
i.PM dedicated to the nation 3 railway projects which are:
- Doubling of Patliputra-Pahleza line
- 26-km long new line between Bandhua and Paimar
- MEMU(Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) shed in Gaya
ii.He also laid the foundation stone of the Ara bypass rail line. These rail projects hold great significance as they will lead to better connectivity, improve mobility of trains and help to expand line capacity. Also, these rail projects will give the required boost to industrial growth in the region
Projects launched under Namami Gange Programme
PM Modi inaugurated 12 projects worth Rs2190 crore under the Namami Gange Programme. These projects include
- the Sewage Treatment Plant(STP) at Saidpur and the Pahari
- Sewerage Network for Saidpur, Beur, Pahari zone IVA
- Sewerage scheme at Pahari zone V
- Interception, Diversion and Sewage Treatment Plant(STP) at Barh, Chhapra, Naugachia, Sultanganj and Sonepur.
- Sewerage system with Sewer network at Karmalichak
PM laid the foundation stone for Unity Mall in Bihar
PM laid the foundation stone for Unity Mall in Patna, Bihar. It will be developed with an estimated budget of more than Rs 200 crore.
About Unity Mall:
i.The state-of-the art facility will have features like covering international design practices, technology, comfort and aesthetics.
ii.The mall will provide a platform to States, Union Territories(UTs) and Districts which enables them to showcase their unique products and craftsmanship.
iii.Unity Mall will promote local manufacturing and promotion of One District One Products(ODOP), Geographical Indicators(GI) products and handicrafts of Bihar and India.
- The project will give a boost to the socio-economic development of the region in terms of employment generation, and infrastructure development and will give a boost to the export sector Bihar.
Development projects in Begusarai, Bihar
PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various oil and gas projects worth Rs 1.48 Lakh crore across the nation. The project covers various states such as Bihar, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka.
PM dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects for Bihar worth more than Rs 13,400 crore in Begusarai, Bihar.
Railway Projects:
i.PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various railway projects worth about Rs3917 crore. These projects include:
- Project for Raghopur-Forbesganj Gauge Conversion
- Doubling of Mukuria-Kathihar-Kumedpur rail line
- Project for Barauni-Bachhwara 3rd and 4th line
- Electrification of Katihar-Jogbani rail section among others
- He also flagged off 4 trains which include: Danapur-Jogbani Express(via Darbhanga-Sakri), Jogbani-Saharsa Express, Sonepur-Vaishali Express and Jogbani-Siliguri Express.
Oil and Gas Projects for Bihar:
PM introduced oil and gas projects worth Rs14,000 crore in Bihar. These include projects:
i.PM laid the foundation stone for the expansion of the Barauni Refinery with investment cost of more than Rs11,400 crore.
ii.He also inaugurated other projects such as Grid Infrastructure at Barauni Refinery; the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline which is an extension to Patna and Muzzafarpur.
PM inaugurated the HURL fertilizer plant in Barauni, Begusarai district, Bihar.
- It is developed at a cost of more than Rs9500 crore. This will be the 4th fertiliser plant to be revived in India.
Other Important Projects:
i.PM dedicated to the nation “First Oil” from KG Basin and flagged off 1st crude oil tanker from the ONGC(Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) Krishna Godavari deepwater project. This marks a major milestone in the energy sector of India.
ii.PM launched “Bharat Pashudhan” which is a digital database for livestock animals in India. It is developed under the “National Digital Livestock Mission(NDLM)”. It has a unique 12-digit Tag ID allocated to each livestock animal.
- It has estimated to cover 30.5 crore bovines. Around 29.6 crore have already been tagged and their details are available in the database.
iii.PM also launched the “1962 Farmers App” which records all data and information from the Bharat Pashudhan database. This will help farmers to keep track of their bovines.
PM laid the foundation stone and dedicated BPCL’s projects worth Rs 9,800 crore
PM laid the foundation stone of BPCL’s(Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited) 9 projects on 2nd March 2024 in Begusarai, Bihar. The cumulative cost of these projects is Rs9,800 crore. These projects include:
i.Kalaburgi petroleum, oils, and lubricants(POL) depot in Karnataka will constructed on 56 acres of land with an investment of Rs246 crore.
ii.City Gas Distribution will be set up in Fazilka district, Punjab, Hanumangarh, and Ganganagar, Rajasthan.
iii.Lube Oil Blending and Filling plant located at Rasayani, Raigad district, Maharshtra.
iv.POL(Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants) and LOBS(Lube Oil Base Stock) Installations with receipt Pipelines at Rasayani, Maharashtra.
v.Augmentation of Cryogenic facilities at Uran LPG Import Terminal at Raigad, Maharashtra.
Other projects:
i.PM Modi also inaugurated New Kero Hydro Treater(KHT) unit at Mumbai Refinery. It produces Aviation Turbine Fuel(ATF) with low sulfur content.
ii.Increase of Lube Oil Base Stock Production at Mumbai Refinery.
iii.The POL Terminal equipped with a railway siding located at Haveli, Pune(Maharashtra).
iv.BPCL commissioned a POL coastal installation at Krishnaptnam, Andhra Pradesh.
About Jharkhand:
Chief Minister– Champai Soren
Governor– C.P. Radhakrishnan
Tiger Reserve- Palamau Tiger Reserve
Wildlife Sanctuaries– Mahuadanr Wildlife Sanctuary; Koderma Wildlife Sanctuary
About Bihar:
Chief Minister– Nitish Kumar
Governor– Rajendra V. Arlekar,
Wildlife Sanctuary– Udaypur Wildlife Sanctuary; Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary; Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Wildlife Sanctuary
Biological Park– Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park
