PM Modi lays foundation stone of project worth 24,300 crore in Rajasthan

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone and dedicated national development projects worth over Rs 24,300 crore in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

The projects include dedication of six-lane Greenfield Expressway section of Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor at a cost of about Rs 11,125 crore, Inter-State Transmission Line Phase-I, Bikaner for Green Energy Corridor at a cost of about Rs 10,950 crore. The Bhiwadi transmission line will be developed by Power Grid at a cost of about Rs 1,340 crore and a new 30-bed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital will be built in Bikaner.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Bikaner Railway Station and doubling of the 43 km long Churu-Ratangarh section railway line at a cost of about Rs 450 crore.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister paid tributes to the land of warriors and remarked that people dedicated to the development of the state always take an opportunity to make themselves available to dedicate development projects to the nation. Referring to projects worth over Rs 24,000 crore today, the Prime Minister said that within a few months, Rajasthan got two modern six-lane expressways.

Recalling the inauguration of the Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Express Corridor in February, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the opportunity to inaugurate the 500-km six-lane Greenfield Expressway section of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway today . “In a way, Rajasthan has scored a double century when it comes to national highways,” he said.

The Prime Minister also congratulated the people of Bikaner and Rajasthan for the Green Energy Corridor and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital.

The Prime Minister said that Rajasthan has always been full of capabilities and possibilities. The Prime Minister said that it is because of this possibility of development that record investments are being made in the state. Connectivity is being made hi-tech as there is immense potential for industrial development here. The high-speed expressway and railways will boost tourism opportunities, which will benefit the youth of the state, he added.

Referring to the Green Field Expressway inaugurated today, the Prime Minister said it will connect Rajasthan with Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, while important commercial ports like Jamnagar and Kandla will also become accessible from Bikaner and Rajasthan. He underlined that the distance between Bikaner and Amritsar and Jodhpur will be reduced, as well as the distance between Jodhpur and Gujarat, which will greatly benefit the farmers and businesses of the region.

“This greenfield expressway will strengthen economic activity across western India”, the Prime Minister said, highlighting the increased connectivity with oil field refineries, which will strengthen supplies, thereby driving economic growth in the country.

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