PM Modi lays foundation stone for IICC in national capital

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi's Dwarka.

Addressing a gathering at the event, the Prime Minister said, "This project will emerge as a centre of energy of 80 crore youth. It is not just a convention and expo centre, but a vibrant centre for domestic and international business. It will be like a mini city within Delhi, there'll be convention halls, expo halls, meeting halls, hotels, market, offices and several other facilities within the campus."

The Prime Minister further stated that smaller countries have the capacity to hold large conferences, adding that due to the creation of such modern arrangements, many countries have become the hub of conference tourism.

"But we have not had this thought for years in this direction. Large conferences were restricted to only a few centers, such as Pragati Maidan. Now this thinking has changed and the result of this is today's event," the Prime Minister said.

He also highlighted the work done by his government on "unprecedented plans" for development in the country, saying, "This government has started work on unprecedented plans for the development of the country, (including) the longest tunneling work, laying the longest gas pipeline, building the longest sea bridge, construction of the largest mobile manufacturing unit."

"The biggest indirect tax reform work in the form of GST, work of running the biggest mass movement in the form of clean India, and now this government has done the task of undertaking the country's and the world's biggest healthcare scheme - Ayushman Bharat," Prime Minister Modi added.

He further said that development does not happen over months or few years, it needs consistent efforts.

"It is very important that decisions should be taken on time and they should be implemented without delay. The past 50 months have been a witness to the fact that this government is not lagging behind in taking tough decisions taken in national interest," Prime Minister Modi said.

With a budget of around Rs 26,000 crore, the IICC will be built over an area of 221 acres and will accommodate up to 11,000 persons. The construction is planned over two phases, with phase one planned to be completed by December 2019, and phase two by December 2024.