Modi to visit J&K to participate in celebrations of National Panchayati Raj Day on Sunday

New Delhi, April 23, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday to participate in the celebration of National Panchayati Raj Day and address all the Gram Sabhas across the country.

He will visit Palli Panchayat in Samba district.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth around Rs 20,000 crore. He will also launch the Amrit Sarovar initiative.

Thereafter, at around 5 pm, he will attend the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards Ceremony in Mumbai, where he will also receive the 1st Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award.

An official press release said that, since the introduction of constitutional reforms with regards to Jammu & Kashmir in August 2019, the government has been focussed on bringing about wide- ranging reforms to substantially improve governance and enhance ease of living for the people of the region at an unprecedented pace.

The projects being inaugurated and whose foundation stone will be laid during the visit would go a long way in facilitating provision of basic amenities, ensuring ease of mobility and development of infrastructure in the region.

Modi will inaugurate the Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel, built at a cost of over Rs 3,100 crore. The 8.45 km-long tunnel will reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km, and reduce journey time by around one and a half hour. It is a twin tube tunnel – one for each direction of travel – with the twin tubes being interconnected by a cross passage every 500m, for maintenance and emergency evacuation. The tunnel would help establish an all weather connection between Jammu and Kashmir, and bring the two regions closer, the release said.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of three road packages of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, being built at a cost of over Rs. 7,500 crore. They are for the construction of the 4/6 lane access-controlled Delhi-Katra-Amritsar Expressway from: Balsua on NH-44 to Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar; Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar to Jakh, Vijaypur; and Jakh, Vijaypur to Kunjwani, Jammu with spur connectivity to Jammu Airport.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Ratle and Kwar Hydroelectric projects. The 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project will be constructed on Chenab river in Kishtwar District at a cost of around Rs 5,300 crore. The 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project will also be built on Chenab river in Kishtwar District at a cost of over Rs. 4,500 crore. Both the projects will help meet the power requirements of the region, the release said.

In order to further expand the network of Jan Aushadi Kendras in J&K and to make good quality generic medicines at affordable prices available, 100 Kendras have been made functional and will be dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister. These Kendras are located in the remote corners of the UT. He will also inaugurate a 500 KW solar power plant at Palli, which will make it the country’s first panchayat to become carbon neutral.

Modi will hand over Svamitva cards to beneficiaries under the scheme. He will also transfer award money to Panchayats which are winners of awards given across different categories on National panchayati Raj Day for their achievements. Prime Minister will also visit the INTACH photo gallery which depicts the rural heritage of the region, and Nokia Smartpur, a rural entrepreneurship-based model designed to create ideal smart villages in India.

With a view to ensure rejuvenation of water bodies, during the visit to J&K, the Prime Minister will also launch a new initiative named Amrit Sarovar. It is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country.

In Mumbai, Modi will attend the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards Ceremony in Mumbai at around 5 pm. On this occasion, he will be conferred 1st Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award. This award, which has been instituted in memory of the late singer Lata Mangeshkar, will be given every year exclusively to one individual for exemplary contribution towards nation building.

NNN