Modi on 2-day J'khand visit from today; to undertake roadshow, launch projects

RANCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his two-day visit to Jharkhand today during which he will undertake a roadshow and launch several projects.

The PM will arrive at Birsa Munda Airport in the evening, where Governor C P Radhakrishnan and Chief Minister Hemant Soren will welcome him. From there, Modi will undertake a 10-km-long roadshow till Raj Bhavan, officials said.

On Wednesday, he will launch a Rs 24,000 crore project aimed at the development of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on the occasion of 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas', they said.

Modi will also launch the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra', release the 15th instalment of Rs 18,000 crore under the PM-KISAN scheme, and inaugurate and lay the foundation of projects worth Rs 7,200 crore in the state.

During the roadshow, BJP workers and leaders will greet him at 10 locations along the route, including Birsa Chowk, Harmu Chowk and Ratu Road roundabout, party office-bearers said.

Security has been beefed up in view of the PM's visit.

On Wednesday morning, the PM will visit Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park-cum-Freedom Fighter Museum in Ranchi, and then take a chopper to Birsa Munda's birthplace Ulihatu village in Khunti district, where Modi will pay floral tributes to the freedom fighter.

Modi will be the first PM to visit Ulihatu, an official statement said.

The PM will participate in a programme marking the third 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' in Khunti. During the function, he will launch 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' and 'Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Mission'.

The focus of the yatra will be on reaching out to people and creating awareness and providing benefits of welfare schemes such as sanitation facilities, essential financial services, electricity connections, access to LPG cylinders, housing for the poor, food security, proper nutrition, reliable healthcare and clean drinking water, it said.

Enrolment of potential beneficiaries will be done through details ascertained during the yatra, the statement said.

The prime minister will flag off IEC (Information, Education and Communication) vans in Khunti, marking the launch of 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra'.

The yatra will start from districts with significant tribal population and by January 25 next year, it will cover all districts of the country.

During the function, Modi will also launch the Rs 24,000 crore 'Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PM PVTG) Mission', under which basic facilities such as road and telecom connectivity, electricity, safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition and sustainable livelihood opportunities will be provided to PVTG habitations, which are mostly remote, scattered and inaccessible, it said.

There are around 28 lakh PVTGs belonging to 75 tribes living in 22,544 villages in 220 districts in 18 states and Union territories.

He will also release the 15th instalment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through direct benefit transfer to more than eight crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, till now, more than Rs 2.62 lakh crore has been transferred to farmers' accounts in 14 instalments.

The prime minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 7,200 crore in sectors such as rail, road, education, coal, petroleum and natural gas, the statement said.

The projects that will be inaugurated include the new campus of IIM Ranchi, new hostel of IIT-ISM Dhanbad, Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) depot in Bokaro, doubling of railway tracks in the Hatia-Pakra, Talgaria-Bokaro and Jarangdih-Patratu sections.

The projects of which foundation will be laid include the four-laning of 52-km stretch of Mahagama-Hansdiha section of NH-133, four-laning of 45-km stretch of Basukinath-Deoghar section of NH-114 A, KDH-Purnadih Coal Handling Plant and a new academic and administrative building of IIIT Ranchi.

After the function, he will fly back to Ranchi, from where he will leave for Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.

In view of the PM's roadshow, traffic restrictions have been imposed along the stretch from the airport to Raj Bhavan from 8 pm to 10.30 pm.

Meanwhile, the Ranchi district administration has imposed Section 144 of CrPC from 6 pm on November 14 to 11 am in Ranchi Municipal Corporation area on November 15, prohibiting any rally or demonstration without prior permission in view of the proposed stir of State Level Panchayat Swayam Sevak Sangh (SLPSSS), which planned to gherao the CM's residence on Wednesday.

The SLPSSS had earlier staged protests to press for their demands, including fixation of remuneration and regularisation of the services of panchayat volunteers.