Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones of development projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. This also includes the inauguration of the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel to establish an all-weather connectivity between the two regions of the Union Territory. Modi is visiting Jammu and Kashmir for the first time after the deactivation of Article 370 and 35A in August 2019.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that Modi is going there to participate in the National Panchayati Raj Day celebrations and address gram sabhas across the country. He will also visit the Palli Panchayat of Samba district. According to the PMO, as part of the effort to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in every district of the country, the Prime Minister will start a new initiative named Amrit Sarovar. Modi will attend the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award ceremony in Mumbai in the evening, where he will receive the first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award, the statement said. The award has been instituted in the memory of Lata Mangeshkar and will be given every year to an individual for making exemplary contribution in nation building.
In a statement on Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the PMO said that the government is focusing on improving governance at an unprecedented pace after the constitutional reforms and undertaking comprehensive reforms to enhance the ease of living for the people of the region. The mention of constitutional reforms by the PMO is a veiled reference to the abrogation of most of the provisions of Article 370 in August 2019 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories.
3100 crore cost on tunnel
Modi will inaugurate the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel built at a cost of over Rs 3,100 crore. The 8.45 km long tunnel will reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km and reduce the travel time by about one and a half hours. It is a twin tube tunnel for both side traffic and interconnected tunnels every 500 meters for maintenance and emergency evacuation.
Foundation stone of three road package also laid
Modi will also lay the foundation stone of a three road package for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, which will cost more than Rs 7,500 crore. Among other projects, Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Ratle and Kwar hydroelectric projects. Ratle Hydroelectric Project is an 850 MW unit on Chenab river in Kishtwar at a cost of about Rs 5,300 crore. He will also lay the foundation stone for the 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project, which will be built on the same river at a cost of over Rs 4,500 crore.
Expansion of Jan Aushadhi Kendras
To further expand the network of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in J&K and to provide good quality generic medicines at affordable prices, 100 centers will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi. Modi will also inaugurate a 500 kW solar power plant in the parish, which will make it the first panchayat in the country to become carbon neutral.
give a certificate of ownership
During his visit, Modi will hand over the ownership (surveying villages and mapping village areas with improvised technology) cards to the beneficiaries under the scheme. The cards will give the villagers a documentary certificate of ownership of their properties so that they can use them for financial gains, if required. Modi will also transfer the prize money to the Panchayats which are the winners of the awards given in different categories. The PMO said that the Amrit Sarovar project is part of the Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi.