(The New Indian Express)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various infrastructure and development projects worth Rs 5,700 crore in Bihar’s Siwan district on Friday. This marks his second visit to the poll-bound state in under a month and his fifth since January this year.
Modi’s visit is expected to further energise the political atmosphere in Bihar, where state assembly elections are scheduled for October-November. During his visit, he will also flag off a Vande Bharat Express train connecting Patliputra railway station in the state capital to Gorakhpur in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
Siwan, once regarded as the stronghold of late RJD MP and strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin, will witness several key unveilings during the Prime Minister’s visit.
Notably, PM Modi will flag off the first locomotive manufactured for export to Guinea in West Africa, produced at the diesel locomotive factory in Marhowrah, Saran district. This marks a significant milestone, as it is the first time Indian Railways is exporting a locomotive, rather than sending aid under a line of credit as done previously with countries such as Bangladesh and Mozambique.
In a major push for railway infrastructure, Modi will also inaugurate the Vaishali–Deoria railway line project, constructed at a cost of Rs 400 crore. A new train service on this route will also be flagged off.
Other major projects to be launched during the visit include:
- Bettiah power supply project worth Rs 69 crore
- Chhapra water supply project worth Rs19 crore
- Buxar water supply project worth Rs 156 crore
- Motihari sewerage management project worth Rs 400 crore
- Buxar sewerage management project worth Rs 256 crore
Continuing the government’s commitment to ‘Housing for All’, the Prime Minister will release the first instalment of financial assistance to over 53,500 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U). Additionally, he will hand over keys to selected beneficiaries of 6,600 newly completed homes, marking their Grih Pravesh (housewarming).
Meanwhile, the Election Commission is expected to visit Bihar later this month to assess on-ground conditions, including the impact of recurrent flooding in several districts. The assembly elections are likely to be held in two to three phases.
