Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi was on one-day visit to Washim and Thane districts in Maharashtra on 5th October, 2024.
Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Washim:
Launch of Initiatives Related to Agriculture & Animal Husbandry Sectors worth Rs 23,300 crore
On 5th October 2024, PM Modi launched several initiatives related to the agricultural and animal husbandry sector worth around Rs 23,300 crore in Washim, Maharashtra.
- He inaugurated over 7,500 projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), worth more than Rs 1920 crore .
- These projects will cover various fields: custom hiring centres, primary processing units, warehouses, sorting and grading units, cold storage projects, and post-harvest management projects among others.
Key Dignitaries: Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra, CP Radhakrishnan, Governor of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Deputy CMs of Maharashtra; Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan , (MoA&FW); Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAH&D)were also present at the event.
Launch of Unified Genomic Chip for Cattle and Indigenous Sex-sorted Semen Technology
PM launched two programmes of the animal husbandry department namely, Unified Genomic Chip for cattle and indigenous sex-sorted semen technology for the benefit of livestock.
About Unified Genomic Chip:
i.The Unified Genomic Chip is designed to help the farmers to make informed decisions on animal selection by identifying high-quality cattle at an early age, which will improve dairy farming efficiency in India.
ii.The chip has two versions: the GAUCHIP for cattle and the MAHISHCHIP for buffalo.
iii.It is developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under MoFAH&D.
About Indigenous Sex-Sorted Semen Technology:
i.The initiative is in alignment with PM Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. It aimed to increase availability of sex-sorted semen at affordable price to farmers and reduce the cost by around Rs 200 per dose.
ii.It is developed by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) under the DAHD.
Disbursement of the 18th Installment of PM-KISAN Scheme
During his visit to Washim, PM Modi disbursed 18th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) worth Rs 20,000 crore to around 9.4 crore farmers.
- With the release of 18th installment of PM-KISAN, the total disbursement exceeds Rs 3.45 lakh crore, supporting over 11 crore farmers nationwide.
Note: Till date, about Rs 32,000 crore have been transferred to around 1.2 crore farmers of Maharashtra in 17 installments of the scheme which is the 2nd highest among all states in India.
About PM-KISAN:
i.It is a Central Sector Scheme (CSS)launched in 2019 and is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India (GoI).
- The scheme aims to augment the income of farmers by providing income support to all farmer families in India irrespective of their landholdings.
ii.Under this scheme, GoI will provide financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per annum to eligible farmer families in 3 equal installments.
iii.GoI has allocated Rs 60,000 crore for FY25 (2024-25) in Interim Budget (2024-25).
PM inaugurated 5 Solar Parks across Maharashtra with total capacity of 19MW
On 5th October 2024, PM Modi inaugurated 5 solar parks with a total capacity of 19 MegaWatt (MW) across Maharashtra under “Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0(MSKVY 2.0)” in Washim District, Maharashtra.
- He also led the e-distribution of Letters of Award (LoA) for around 3,000 MW under MSKVY 2.0 and the e- Distribution of Social Development Grants worth Rs 20.55 crore to 411 gram panchayats.
Key Points:
i.These 5 solar parks are part of the world’s largest decentralized 16,000 MW solar power generation project aimed to provide daytime power supply to farmers for irrigation. The project is estimated to complete by March 2026.
ii.These 5 solar parks are located at: Dhondalgaon (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Bamni Budruk (Nanded), Kondgiri (Kolhapur), Jalalabad (Akola), and Palshi Budruk (Buldhana).
About MSKVY 2.0:
i.This scheme was launched by the Government of Maharashtra (GoM) in April 2023.
ii.The state energy department and Maharshtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) had inked power purchase agreements and increased the capacity of power substations, and letter of Award were given to developers for solar power generation of 9,200MW capacity in 11 months.
iii.Under this scheme, a total investment of Rs 65,000 crore will be made by private investors, and will generate 50,000 job opportunities in rural areas.
Other key Points:
i.He launched 9,200 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) with combined turnover of about Rs 1,300 crore.
ii.He also launched the 5th installment of NaMo Shetkari Mahasamman Nidhi Yojana around Rs 2,000 crore to the eligible farmers of Maharashtra.
iii.PM Modi inaugurated the Banjara Virasat Museum in Poharadevi at Washim district in Maharashtra, which is dedicated to Banjara community.
- The 4-storey museum features 13 galleries, showcasing legacy of Banjara community through the portraits of their leaders, historical movements, and artifacts that depict their way of life.
Key Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Thane:
PM Inaugurated and Laid Foundation Stone for Various Projects Worth over Rs 32,800 Crore in Thane, Maharashtra
On 5th October, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several initiatives of more than Rs 32,800 crore in Thane, Maharashtra. The main objective of these projects is to boost urban mobility in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
- Some of the major projects launched are: the Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project and Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension.
Key Projects:
i.He inaugurated the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to Aarey Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) section of Mumbai Metro Line-3 (MML-3) worth around Rs 14,120 crore. The 12.5 km long stretch between Aarey and BKC comprises 10 stations, of which 9 will be underground.
- MML-3 is an important public transport project that will enhance commuting between Mumbai city and Suburbs.
- Fully operational MML-3 is estimated to cater around 12 lakh passengers daily.
ii.He laid the foundation stone of Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project, which will be constructed at an estimated cost of around Rs 12,200 crore.
- The project is 29 kilometer (km) long with 20 elevated and 2 underground stations.
- The project aims to cater the growing transportation needs of Thane, a major industrial and commercial hub in Maharashtra.
iii.He also laid the foundation stone of Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension from Chheda Nagar to Anand Nagar, Thane. It will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 3,310 crore.
- The project will facilitate seamless connectivity from South Mumbai to Thane.
iv.He laid the foundation stone of Phase-I of Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) project worth around Rs 2,550 crore. It includes the construction of major arterial roads, bridges, flyovers, underpasses and integrated utility infrastructure.
v.Further, he laid the foundation of stone for Thane Municipal Corporation, which will be constructed at a cost of around Rs 700 crore.
- The project will centralize municipal operations, providing citizens of Thane improved access to various services under one roof in a central location.
PM Modi Participated in Abhijat Marathi Language Program in Maharashtra
On 5th October 2024, PM Modi participated in Abhijat Marathi language program held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- While addressing the event, he informed that the Marathi language has officially been granted the status of a classical language by the Government of India (GoI).
- Apart from Marathi, other languages which have been granted the status of classical language are: Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.
Revised Criteria for Classical Languages:
The LEC had revised the criteria for classical language status in July, 2024, the new criteria include:
- High antiquity of early texts, and recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years.
- A body of ancient literature or texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers;
- Epigraphic and inscriptional evidence;
- Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry;
- Classical languages and literature could be distinct from its current form or could be discontinuous with its later forms of or its offshoots.
About Maharashtra:
Chief Minister (CM) – Eknath Shinde
Governor- CP Radhakrishnan,
National Parks –Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Chandoli National Park
