PM to embark on 2-day visit to southern states today, to launch projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to four southern states starting today to launch various developmental projects worth over Rs 25,000 crore.

PM Modi will visit Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on November 11 and 12.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, on November 11, at around 9:45 am, the Prime Minister will pay floral tributes to the statues of saint poet Sri Kanaka Dasa and also to Maharshi Valmiki at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru.

At around 10:20 am, he will flag off Vande Bharat Express and Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan Train at KSR railway station in Bengaluru.

At around 11:30 am, PM Modi will inaugurate Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport. Thereafter, at around 12 noon, he will unveil the 108 feet bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, followed by a public function in Bengaluru at around 12:30 am. At around 3:30 pm, PM Modi will attend the 36th Convocation ceremony of Gandhigram Rural Institute at Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.

On November 12, at around 10:30 am, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. At around 3:30 pm, he will visit the RFCL plant in Ramagundam, Telangana. Thereafter, at around 4:15 pm, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects at Ramagundam.

PM in Bengaluru, Karnataka

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru, built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore. The terminal will double the passenger handling capacity of the airport to 5-6 crore passengers per annum, from the current capacity of about 2.5 crore, according to the PMO.

Terminal 2 is designed as a tribute to the Garden city of Bengaluru and the passenger experience is meant to be a "walk in the garden". Passengers will travel through 10,000+ sqmts of green walls, hanging gardens and outdoor gardens.

"The Airport has already established a benchmark in sustainability with 100 per cent usage of renewable energy across the campus. Terminal 2 has been created with sustainability principles woven into the design. Based on the sustainability initiatives, Terminal 2 will be the largest terminal in the world to be pre certified platinum rating by US GBC (green building council) prior to commencing operations. The theme of 'Naurasa' unites all the commissioned artworks for Terminal 2. The artworks reflect the heritage and culture of Karnataka as well as the broader Indian ethos," the PMO said.

Overall, the design and architecture of Terminal 2 have been influenced by four guiding principles: Terminal in a garden, sustainability, technology and art and culture.

The Prime Minister will flag off Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express. Bengaluru at Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway Station. This will be the fifth Vande Bharat Express train in the country and the first such train in South India.

"It will enhance connectivity between the industrial hub of Chennai and the Tech & Startup hub of Bengaluru and the famous tourist city of Mysuru," the PMO said.

The Prime Minister will also flag off the Bharat Gaurav Kashi Yatra train from Bengaluru KSR Railway Station. Karnataka is the first state to take up this train under the Bharat Gaurav scheme in which Government of Karnataka and Ministry of Railways are working together to send pilgrims from Karnataka to Kashi.

"The pilgrims will be provided comfortable stay and guidance for visiting Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj," the PMO said.

The Prime Minister will unveil a 108-metre long bronze statue of Sri Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. It is being built to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the founder of the city, towards the growth of Bengaluru.

"Conceptualized and sculpted by Ram V Sutar of Statue of Unity fame, 98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel have gone into making this statue," PMO said.

PM in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

PM Modi will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 10,500 crores. He will lay the foundation stone of Andhra Pradesh section of six-lane Greenfield Raipur- Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor. It will be built at a cost of more than Rs 3,750 crore.

"The Economic Corridor will provide faster connectivity between Industrial Nodes of Chhattisgarh and Odisha to Visakhapatnam Port and Chennai - Kolkata National Highway. It will also improve connectivity to tribal and backward areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of a dedicated Port Road from Convent Junction to Sheela Nagar Junction in Visakhapatnam. It will ease traffic congestion in Visakhapatnam City by segregating local and port-bound goods traffic," the PMO said.

He will also dedicate to the nation, Narasannapeta to Pathapatnam section of NH-326A built at a cost of more than Rs 200 crore as a part of the Srikakulam-Gajapati corridor.

Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation, U-field Onshore Deep water block project of ONGC in Andhra Pradesh, developed at the cost of more than Rs 2,900 crores. It is the deepest gas discovery of the project with gas production potential of about 3 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD). He will lay the foundation stone of Srikakulam Angul Natural Gas Pipeline Project of GAIL with capacity of around 6.65 MMSCMD.

"This 745 km long pipeline will be built at a total cost of more than Rs 2650 crores. Being a part of Natural Gas Grid (NGG), pipeline will create the vital infrastructure to supply Natural Gas to domestic households, industries, commercial units and Automobile sectors in various districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The pipeline will supply natural gas to the City Gas Distribution Network in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh," the PMO said.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Visakhapatnam Railway Station, to be done at a cost of around Rs 450 crores. The redeveloped station would cater to 75,000 passengers per day and will improve passenger experience by providing modern amenities.

Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone of modernization and upgradation of Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour. The total cost of the project is around Rs 150 crores.

"The fishing harbour, after its upgradation and modernisation will double the handling capacity from 150 Tons per day to about 300 Tons per day, provide safe landing and berthing and other modern infrastructure facilities reduce turnaround time in the jetty, reduce wastage and help improve price realisation," the PMO said.

PM in Ramagundam, Telangana

PM Modi will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs 9,500 crore in Ramagundam. He will dedicate the Fertilizer plant at Ramagundam to the nation.

"The Foundation stone for Ramagundam Project was also laid by Prime Minister on 7th August 2016. The driving force behind the revival of the Fertilizer Plant is the vision of the Prime Minister to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of urea. The Ramagundam Plant will make available 12.7 LMT per annum indigenous neem-coated Urea production," it said.

The project has been set up under the aegis of Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) which is a Joint Venture Company of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Engineers India Ltd (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL). RFCL was entrusted with the responsibility of setting up the New Ammonia-Urea Plant with an investment of more than Rs 6,300 crores. Gas to RFCL Plant will be supplied through Jagdishpur - Phulpur- Haldia Pipeline.

Prime Minister will dedicate the Bhadrachalam Road- Sattupalli rail line to the nation, which has been built at a cost of around Rs 1,000 crore. He will also lay the foundation stone of various road projects worth over Rs. 2200 crores, namely the Medak-Siddipet-Elkathurthy section of NH-765DG; Bodhan-Basar-Bhainsa section of NH-161BB; Sironcha to Mahadevpur Section of NH-353C.

PM in Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu

The Prime Minister will address the 36th Convocation ceremony of Gandhigram Rural Institute. More than 2300 students of 2018-19 and 2019-20 Batches will receive their degrees in the convocation ceremony.