Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu(TN), Lakshadweep and Kerala from 2nd to 3rd January 2024.
Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu:
During his visit to Tamil Nadu on 2nd January 2024, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crores in the Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) district of Tamil Nadu.
- The projects were related to various sectors such as rail, road, oil and gas and shipping in TN.
- These development projects will give boost to travel and create thousands of employment opportunities in TN.
Development Projects related Railway Sector:
PM Modi dedicated to the nation rail sector projects, which includes,
i.Doubling of 41.4 Km Salem–Magnesite Junction–Omalur–Mettur Dam section;
ii.Doubling of rail line section of 160 Km from Madurai – Tuticorin;
iii.Three projects for rail line electrification viz Tiruchchirappalli- Manamadurai- Virudhunagar; Virudhunagar – Tenkasi Junction; Sengottai – Tenkasi Junction – Tirunelveli- Tiruchendur.
Development Projects related Road Sector:
i.PM Modi dedicated to the nation five road sector projects, which includes,
- 39 km four-lane road for Trichy – Kallagam section of National Highway (NH)-81.
- 60 km long 4/2-laning of Kallagam – Meensurutti section of NH-81.
- 29 km four-lane road of Chettikulam – Natham section of NH-785.
- 80 km long two lane with paved shoulder of Karaikudi – Ramanathapuram section of NH-536.
- 44 km long four laning of section of NH-179A Salem – Tirupathur – Vaniyambadi Road.
ii.PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for the road development projects which includes the construction of 31 Km long stretch of 4-lane road from Mugaiyur to Marakkanam of NH-332A.
Other Key Projects for Tamil Nadu:
i.PM inaugurated General Cargo Berth-II (Automobile Export/Import Terminal-II and capital dredging Phase-V) of KamarajarPort, on the Coromandel Coast, Chennai, TN.
ii.He also laid the foundation stone of important Petroleum and Natural Gas Projects worth more than Rs 9000 crore.
iii.He also dedicated to the nation 2 pipeline projects which includes,
- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL)’s 488 km long natural gas pipeline from IP101 (Chengalpet) to IP 105 (Sayalkudi) section of Ennore – Thiruvallur – Bengaluru – Puducherry – Nagapattinam – Madurai – Tuticorin Pipeline.
- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)’s 697 km long Vijayawada-Dharmapuri Multiproduct (POL) Petroleum Pipeline (VDPL).
iv.He also laid the foundation stone for
- Development of 323 Km of natural gas pipeline from Krishnagiri to Coimbatore section of Kochi-Koottanad-Bangalore-Mangalore Gas pipeline II (KKBMPL II) by Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL).
- Installation of Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL) pipelines in Common Corridor for proposed grass root terminal at Vallur, Chennai.
v.He also inaugurated the Demonstration Fast Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant (DFRP) at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam.
- This one of its kind DFRP was developed at a cost of Rs 400 crore. it can reprocess both carbide and oxide fuels discharged from the fast reactors.
- This indigenously developed plant will play a significant role in nuclear power industry.
vi.He also inaugurated the 500-Bed boys hostel “AMETHYST” of National Institute of Technology(NIT) in Tiruchirappalli.
Inaugurated New Terminal Building at Trichy Airport:
PM Modi inaugurated the new terminal building at Tiruchirappalli International Airport. The two-level new international terminal building was developed at a cost of more than Rs 1100 crore.
Features:
i.It has the capacity to serve more than 44 Lakh passengers annually and about 3500 passengers during the peak hours.
ii.It showcases the various art forms like Kollam Art and Colours of Srirangam Temple
iii.At the ground level of terminal, the main entrance has huge temple tower like structure which resembles Rajagopuram of Sri Ranganathan Swamy temple.
PM attended 38th Convocation Ceremony at Bharathidasan University
during his visit, PM Modi attended the 38th Convocation of Bharathidasan University as Guest of Honor in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. He presented awards to the meritorious students of the university.
Key People: R.N. Ravi, Governor of TN and Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, M.K. Stalin, Chief Minister (CM) of TN, and L. Murugan, Union Minister of Stae(MoS), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)
PM presented with a coffee table book on Srirangam
During his visit, PM Modi was presented coffee table book titled “Srirangam – The Resplendent Kingdom of Rangaraja” by K. Annamalai, BJP President, Tamil Nadu.
About the Book:
i.It was launched on December 23, 2023, during the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. It is published by The Hindu Group of Publications.
ii.The book consists of 454 pages and is divided into 11 sections. It provides a comprehensive overview of the temple and its architecture, cultural traditions and festivals.
Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep:
PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth Rs 1150 crore at Kavaratti Island in Lakshadweep on 3rd January 2024. The Project include various sectors: technology, energy, water resources, healthcare and education.
Initiated KLI-SOFC:
PM Modi initiated the Kochi –Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fibre Connection (KLI-SOFC) project which will help to address the challenge of slow internet speed on Lakshadweep Island.
i.It will increase internet speed by more than 100 times i.e. from 1.7 Gbps to 200 Gbps.
ii.It will enhance internet services, telemedicine, e-governance, education and digital banking.
Note: The project was announced by PM Narendra Modi during his Independence Speech at Red Fort, New Delhi, Delhi on 15th August 2020.
Other development Projects:
i.PM Modi dedicated to the nation the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plant at Kadmat which will produce1.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water every day.
ii.He also inaugurated Functional Household Tap Connections(FHTC) in all households of the Agatti and Minicoy Islands.
These projects will help to give a boost to the tourism sector of Lakshadweep and will help in generating local employment opportunities.
iii.He inaugurated the Solar Power Plant at Kavaratti, the 1st ever battery-backed solar power project of Lakshadweep. this will reduce dependence on diesel-based power generation plants.
iv.He also inaugurated the new administrative block and 80 men barrack in India Reserve Battalion(IRBn) complex at Kavaratti.
v.He laid the foundation stone for the upgradation of the Primary Health Care facility in Kalpeni.
vi.Construction of five models of Anganwadi Centres (Nand Ghars) in 5 islands: Androth, Chetlat, Kadmat, Agatti and Mnicoy.
Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Kerala:
On 3rd January 2024, PM Modi held a mega roadshow in Thrissur during his visit to Kerala. He also addressed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s women’s conference “Sthree Shakti Modikkoppam” held at Thekkinkadu Maidan, Thrissur, Kerala.
- Women associated with ASHA, MGNREGA(Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act), and Anganwadi participated in large numbers in the event.
- The event aims to highlight major milestones achieved by the central government in passing the Women’s Reservation Bill.
- Some of the eminent women from various fields attended the event: Shobhana(Actor), MinnuMani(Cricketer), Beena Kannan(Entrepreneur) Vaikom Vijaylakshmi and Mariyakutty(singer).
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister– M.K. Stalin
Governor– R.N. Ravi
Airport– Coimbatore International Airport, Chennai International Airport
National Parks– Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Aanamali Tiger Reserve
About Union Territory Lakshadweep Islands:
Capital– Kavaratti
Lieutenant Governor– Praful Khoda Patel
National Parks– Minicoy Island, Agatti Island
Airport– Agatti Airport
