Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Jharkhand, Gujarat and Odisha on 15-17 September 2024.
PM Modi’s visit to Jharkhand:
During his visit to Jharkhand on 15th September 2024, He flagged off the Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat train at Tatanagar Junction Railway Station, Jharkhand.
- He also distributed sanction letters to 20 thousand Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) beneficiaries from Jharkhand.
PM laid the foundation stone for Railway Projects
PM Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various Railway Projects worth more than Rs 660 crore in Tatanagar, Jharkhand through video conferencing.
i.These projects include laying the foundation stone for Madhupur Bye pass line in Deoghar district and Hazaribagh Town Coaching Depot in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.
ii.Madhupur Bypass line will help to prevent detention of trains on Howrah-Delhi mainline and will also help in reducing travel time between Giridih and Jasidih.
iii.The Hazaribagh Town Coaching Depot will support in the maintenance of coaching stocks at this station.
Note: In the 2024 budget, more than Rs 7000 crore has been granted to Jharkhand to strengthen the railway infrastructure.
PM Flagged off 6 Vande Bharat trains:
PM Modi flagged off Six state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express trains which will improve the connectivity on the following routes:
- Tatanagar – Patna
- Bhagalpur – Dumka – Howrah
- Brahmapur – Tatanagar
- Gaya – Howrah
- Deoghar – Varanasi
- Rourkela – Howrah
Key Points:
i.These trains will boost religious tourism in the region by providing faster mode of commute to the pilgrimage sites like Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar (Jharkhand), Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Kalighat, Belur Math in Kolkata (West Bengal) etc.
ii.Coal Mines industries in Dhanbad, Jute industries in Kolkata, Iron & Steel allied industries in Durgapur will also get a major boost.
PM Modi’s visit to Gujarat:
During his visit to Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 16th September 2024, PM Modi inaugurated Phase II of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project and the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST).
- He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth more than Rs 8,000 crore in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
PM inaugurated Phase-II of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project:
PM Modi inaugurated Phase II of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project built at an estimated cost of Rs. 5,384 crore. This will link major locations like Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU), Gujarat International Finance Tec(GIFT)-City and more.
i.The phase-II project will connect 21 km between the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Motera and Gandhinagar Sector 1 over eight stations.
ii. The Ahmedabad Metro Rail will now have a network of 68 km on two lines after the introduction of the 2nd phase- north-south corridor and east-west corridor, with 54 stations, four of which are underground.
- The first phase, inaugurated by the PM Modi in 2022, covers a 33.5-km-long north-south corridor.
PM Modi inaugurates 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST):
PM Modi inaugurated the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
- PM Modi also visited the exhibition which showcased state-of-the-art innovations from public and private sector companies, start-ups, and major industry players.
About 4th Global RE-INVEST:
i.The two-and-a-half-day summit honoured the important contributors to India’s remarkable achievement of over 200 gigawatts (GW) of installed non-fossil fuel capacity.
ii.Germany, Australia, Denmark and Norway are participating in the event as Partner Countries.
iii.State of Gujarat is the host state and the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh participated as Partner States.
PM Modi inaugurated India’s first Namo Bharat Rapid Rail:
PM Modi, who was present in Ahmedabad, virtually flagged off India’s first Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Ahmedabad and Bhuj from the Bhuj railway station.
- The Railway Ministry has renamed the Bhuj-Ahmedabad Vande Metro to Namo Bharat Rapid Rail hours before its inauguration.
- He also flagged off several Vande Bharat trains on routes – Nagpur to Secunderabad, Kolhapur to Pune, Agra Cantt to Banaras, Durg to Visakhapatnam, Pune to Hubballi, and the first 20-coach Vande Bharat train from Varanasi to Delhi.
About the Rapid Rail:
i.The Rapid Rail aims to enhance intercity connectivity. the rail will cover 359 km distance from Bhuj to Ahmedabad in 5:45 hours with a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour. (kmph).
ii.The rail featuring 12 coaches has a seating capacity of 1,150 passengers.
PM Modi Inaugurated Development Projects worth ~Rs 8,000 crore:
PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs. 8,000 crores in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Details of the projects:
i.The development projects include the quadrupling of the Samakhiali – Gandhidham and Gandhidham – Adipur railway lines, the development of iconic roads in AMC, Ahmedabad, and the construction of flyover bridges over Bakrol, Hathijan, Ramol, and Panjarpol Junction.
ii.He also inaugurated the 30 megawatts (MW) solar system, a 35-MW BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) Solar PV(photovoltaic) Project at Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station, Kutch, and 220 Kilovolt(kV) substations at Morbi and Rajkot.
iii.He also launched the Single Window IT System (SWITS) of the International Financial Services Centres Authority(IFSCA), designed to streamline financial services.
iv.The PM has sanctioned more than 30,000 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin and released the first instalment for these homes, as well as launched construction of houses under the PMAY Scheme.
v.Further, India’s first Vande Metro from Bhuj to Ahmedabad and several Vande Bharat trains including on routes, Nagpur to Secunderabad, Kolhapur to Pune, Agra Cantt to Banaras, Durg to Visakhapatnam, Pune to Hubballi, and the first 20-coach Vande Bharat train from Varanasi to Delhi have been flagged off.
PM Modi’s Visit to Odisha:
During his visit to Bhubaneswar, Odisha on 17th September 2024, PM Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation Railway Projects worth more than Rs. 2800 crores and laid the foundation stone for National Highway (NH) Projects worth more than Rs 1000 crore.
He also released the 1st instalment of assistance to nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries under PMAY-G of around 14 states.
The Griha Pravesh celebrations for 26 lakh beneficiaries of PMAY (Gramin and Urban) was also held during the event.
He also launched Awaas+ 2024 App, for a survey of additional households for PMAY-G, and the Operational Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0.
PM Modi launches ‘SUBHADRA’ – Odisha’s Women-Centric Scheme:
PM Modi launched ‘SUBHADRA’, the flagship Scheme of Government of Odisha, in Bhubaneswar. It is the largest, single women-centric scheme that is expected to cover more than 1 crore women.
About the ‘SUBHADRA’ Scheme:
i.Under the scheme, all eligible beneficiaries between the age of 21-60 years would receive Rs. 50,000 over a period of 5 years between 2024-25 to 2028-29.
ii.An amount of Rs 10,000/- per annum in two equal instalments will be credited directly to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-enabled and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)-enabled bank account.
iii.The PM would initiate the fund transfer into the bank accounts of more than 10 lakh women.
