PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stone of projects worth Rs 12,600 cr in MP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of a slew of projects, including rail and road works and a memorial dedicated to Rani Durgavati, worth Rs 12,600 crore in BJP-governed Madhya Pradesh, where assembly polls are likely to be held next month.

To be built at a cost of about Rs 100 crore in Jabalpur, the Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan' will be spread over nearly 21 acres. It will showcase an impressive 52-foot-tall bronze statue of the Gond queen, an official said.

The memorial will have a museum highlighting the history of the Gondwana region including the valour and courage of Rani Durgavati, the official said. Besides, it will also highlight the cuisine, art, culture and way of living of the Gond people and other tribal communities.

Rani Durgavati was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century. She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals, the official said.

This will be Modi's ninth visit to the state in the last seven months. He addressed a function in Gwalior on Gandhi Jayanti.

As part of the Centre's flagship programme Housing for All', a Light House Project' in Indore will be inaugurated by Modi.

Built at a cost of about Rs 128 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban', the project will help more than 1,000 beneficiary families. It employs a Prefabricated Sandwich Panel System' with a Pre-engineered Steel Structural System' to build quality homes with all basic facilities but in considerably reduced construction time, the official said.

Besides, for providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections, Modi will lay the foundation stone of multiple Jal Jeevan Mission' projects in Mandla, Jabalpur and Dindori districts worth over Rs 2,350 crore.

The prime minister will dedicate the Jal Jeevan Mission' project in Seoni district worth over Rs 100 crore, to the nation. These projects in four districts of the state will benefit about 1,575 villages, the official said.

Modi will lay the foundation stones and dedicate to the nation projects worth more than Rs 4,800 crore for improving the road infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh.

The projects include the upgradation of the road connecting Jharkheda-Berasia-Dholkhedi of NH 346, and the four-laning of Balaghat-Gondia Section of NH 543, Khandwa Bypass connecting Rudhi and Deshgaon, Temagaon to Chicholi section of NH 47, road connecting Boregaon to Shahpur and road connecting Shahpur to Muktainagar.

Modi will dedicate to the nation the upgradation of the road connecting Khalghat to Sarwardewla of NH 347C, the official said.

During his visit, the PM will dedicate to the nation rail projects worth more than Rs 1,850 crore to the nation.

These projects include doubling of the rail line connecting Katni-Vijaysota (102 km) and Marwasgram-Singrauli (78.5 km). Both these are part of the project for doubling the line connecting the Katni-Singrauli section. These projects will improve rail infrastructure benefiting trade and tourism in the state, the official said.

Modi will dedicate to the nation the Vijaipur-Auraiya-Phulpur Gas Pipeline Project. The 352-km-long pipeline has been built for more than Rs 1,750 crore.

Besides, the PM will also lay the foundation stone of the Nagpur-Jabalpur section (317 km) of the Mumbai-Nagpur-Jharsuguda Pipeline Project.

The project will be built at a cost of more than Rs 1,100 crore. The gas pipeline projects will provide clean and affordable natural gas to industries and homes and will be a major step towards reducing emissions in the environment, the official said.

Modi will also dedicate a new bottling plant, built at a cost of nearly Rs 147 crore, in Jabalpur.