This would be PM Modi’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir in his second term, and it assumes significance given the upcoming Lok Sabha elections
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu on Tuesday (February 20), where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 30,500 crore.
Responding to PM Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the people of J&K are attached with our Prime Minister. “He has a special bond with the people here. The biggest package that J&K got after independence was given by PM Modi. Several development works and transformation works took place here under PM Modi’s leadership,” he added.
Taking to X, PM Modi wrote, “A big boost to all-round development! I look forward to being in Jammu tomorrow, 20th February to inaugurate key development works which will boost ‘Ease of Living.’ It will also be a landmark day for the education sector as various institutions including IITs and IIMs will get permanent campuses.”
Read More: Farmers protest: Delhi Chalo march put on hold as Piyush Goyal makes big MSP announcement
PM Modi will also inaugurate AIIMS Jammu on Tuesday. Notably, the Prime Minister also laid its foundation stone in February 2019. He will lay the foundation stone of new terminal building of Jammu Airport and Common User Facility Petroleum depot at Jammu.
“Delighted that AIIMS Jammu will be inaugurated tomorrow. This will cater to the healthcare needs of the region and will benefit several people,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Read More: RoRo services from Bhayandar-Vasai to start from February 20
PM Modi to dedicate to nation and lay the foundation stone of several significant road and rail connectivity projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
This would be PM Modi’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir in his second term, and it assumes significance given the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Prior to PM Modi’s visit, security measures have been tightened across Jammu and Kashmir, with authorities temporarily banning flying drones, paragliders and remote-controlled micro-light aircraft in Jammu.
District Magistrate of Jammu Sachin Kumar Vaishya has issued the order under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, responding to intelligence reports highlighting potential security threats.
Read More: ‘Paytm under ED scrutiny but no forex breaches found yet’
PM MODI’S JAMMU VISIT
As per an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 30,500 crore at around 11:30 AM on Tuesday during a public function at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu.
The projects relate to several sectors including health, education, rail, road, aviation, petroleum, and civic infrastructure, among others.
During the programme, the Prime Minister will distribute appointment orders to about 1500 new Government recruits of Jammu and Kashmir. He will also interact with beneficiaries of various government schemes as part of the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu’ programme, the PMO said.
EDUCATION SECTOR PROJECTS
PM Modi is set to inaugurate, dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of several projects worth about Rs 13,375 crore.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Vijaypur (Samba), Jammu. The institute, whose foundational stone was also laid by the Prime Minister in February 2019, is being established under the Central sector scheme Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.
The projects which are dedicated to the nation include the permanent campus of IIT Bhilai, IIT Tirupati, IIT Jammu, and IIITDM Kancheepuram, according to the PMO.
He will also dedicate the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS)– a pioneer skill training institute on advanced technologies– located at Kanpur; and two campuses of Central Sanskrit University– at Devprayag (Uttarakhand) and Agartala (Tripura).
Prime Minister will also inaugurate three new IIMs in the country viz IIM Jammu, IIM Bodh Gaya and IIM Visakhapatnam.
He will also inaugurate 20 new buildings for Kendriya Vidyalaya (KVs) and 13 new Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) buildings across the country, apart from laying foundation stones of five Kendriya Vidyalaya campuses, one Navodaya Vidyalaya campus and five Multipurpose Hall for Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country.
NEW TERMINAL BUILDING AT JAMMU AIRPORT
Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for a new terminal building at Jammu Airport. To be spread over a 40,000 sqm area, the new terminal building will be equipped with modern facilities catering to about 2000 passengers during peak hours, according to the PMO.
RAIL PROJECTS
Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation various rail projects in Jammu & Kashmir including the new rail line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan (48 Km) and the newly electrified Baramulla-Sringar-Banihal-Sangaldan section (185.66 Km).
He will also flag off the first Electric Train in the valley and also train service between Sangaldan station and Baramulla station.
The commissioning of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section is significant as it features the usage of Ballast Less Track (BLT) all along the route providing a better riding experience to the passengers. Also, India’s longest transportation tunnel T-50 (12.77 Km) lies in this portion between Khari-Sumber.
ROAD PROJECTS
During the programme, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of important road projects– including two packages (44.22 KM) of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway connecting Jammu to Katra; phase two for four-laning of Srinagar Ring Road; five packages for upgrading the 161 km long Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of NH-01; and the construction of Kulgam Bypass and Pulwama bypass on NH-444.
The two packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, once completed will facilitate the visit of pilgrims to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, and will also boost economic development in the region, the PMO said in the statement.
Phase two for the four-laning of the Srinagar Ring Road will reduce the traffic congestion in and around Srinagar city and will improve connectivity to popular tourist destinations like Manasbal Lake and Kheer Bhawani Temple, and also reduce travel time to Leh, Ladakh, as per the PMO.
CUF PETROLEUM DEPOT
Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for a project to develop the CUF (Common User Facility) Petroleum depot at Jammu.
The state-of-art fully automated depot, which will be developed at a cost of about Rs 677 crore, will have a storage capacity of about 100000 KL for storing Motor Spirit (MS), High-Speed Diesel (HSD), Superior Kerosene Oil (SKO), Aviation Turbine fuel (ATF), Ethanol, Biodiesel and winter grade HSD, PMO said.
OTHER PROJECTS
Prime Minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth more than Rs 3,150 crore for strengthening the civic infrastructure and provisioning of public facilities across Jammu and Kashmir.
The projects to be inaugurated by PM Modi include–road projects and bridges; grid stations, receiving stations transmission line projects; common effluent treatment plants and sewage treatment plants; several degree college buildings; intelligent traffic management system in Srinagar city; modern narwal fruit mandi; drug testing laboratory at Kathua; and transit accommodation – 224 flats at Ganderbal and Kupwara.
The projects whose foundation stone will be laid include the development of five new Industrial Estates across Jammu and Kashmir; the data centre/ disaster recovery centre for the integrated command and control centre of Jammu Smart City; the up-gradation of Transport Nagar at Parimpora in Srinagar; up-gradation of 62 road projects and 42 bridges and project for development of transit accommodation – 2816 flats at nine locations in districts Anantnag, Kulgam, Kupwara, Shopian and Pulwama, among others.
