Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, March 11, inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 112 national highway projects across the country worth ₹1 lakh crore from an event in Gurugram.
"I have inaugurated, laid foundation stones of projects worth ₹10 lakh crore so far in 2024," Modi said.
Modi inaugurated the Haryana section of the landmark Dwarka Expressway, which will help improve traffic flow and ease congestion between Delhi and Gurugram on the National Highway-48. The 19-km-long Haryana section of the eight-lane Dwarka Expressway has been built at a cost of around ₹4,100 crore and includes two packages of 10.2-km-long Delhi-Haryana Border to Basai Rail-over-Bridge (ROB) and 8.7-km-long Basai ROB to Kherki Daula.
It will also provide direct connectivity to the IGI Airport in Delhi and Gurugram Bypass.
Other major projects include the 9.6-km-long six-lane Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II)-Package 3 from Nangloi-Najafgarh Road to Sector 24 Dwarka section in Delhi; three packages of Lucknow Ring Road developed at a cost of about ₹4,600 crore in Uttar Pradesh; and Anandapuram-Pendurthi-Anakapalli section of NH-16 developed at a cost of about ₹2,950 crore in Andhra Pradesh.
He also inaugurated the Kiratpur-to-Nerchowk section of NH-21 (two packages) worth around ₹3,400 crore in Himachal Pradesh; Dobaspet-Heskote section (two packages) worth ₹2,750 crore in Karnataka; and 42 other projects worth ₹20,500 crore in different states across the country.
Modi laid the foundation of various national highway projects across the country. Major projects include 14 packages of Bengaluru – Kadappa – Vijayawada Expressway worth ₹14,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh; six packages of Belgaum – Hungund – Raichur Section of NH-748A worth ₹8,000 crore in Karnataka; three packages of Shamli – Ambala Highway worth ₹4,900 crore in Haryana; and two packages of Amritsar – Bathinda corridor worth ₹3,800 crore in Punjab.
Modi also participated in the 'Sashakt Nari-Viksit Bharat' programme and witnessed agricultural drone demonstrations conducted by 'Namo Drone Didis' at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute today. Namo Drone Didis from 11 different locations nationwide participated in the demonstration simultaneously. During the programme, Modi handed over drones to 1,000 Namo Drone Didis.
Modi said his third term will write a new chapter in the rise of women power. In a swipe at previous governments, he said women's lives and hardships were not a priority for them while the BJP dispensation has come out with different initiatives to help them at every stage of life.
Modi said he is the first prime minister who spoke of a host of issues related to women, including lack of toilets, use of sanitary pads, adverse effects of smoke-causing kitchen fuels like wood and coal, and the need for bank accounts from the ramparts of the Red Fort, a reference to his Independence Day speeches.
The 'Namo Drone Didi' and 'Lakhpati Didi' initiatives are integral to the prime minister's vision of fostering economic empowerment and financial autonomy among women, especially in rural areas. Modi felicitated 'Lakhpati Didis', who have achieved success with the support of the 'Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission' and are supporting and motivating other self-help group members for their upliftment.
With inputs from PTI
First Published: Mar 11, 2024 9:04 AM IST
