Lagatar24 Desk
Samba, April 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched and laid the groundwork for several development schemes totaling Rs 20,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir on his first big visit to the Union Territory after Article 370 was repealed on Sunday.
“Projects worth Rs 20,000 crore related to connectivity and electricity have been inaugurated here today. In a bid to bid speed up the development in Jammu and Kashmir, many development initiatives are being taken up in the Union Territory,” said PM Modi in Palli Panchayat of Samba district.
PM Modi went on to say that these efforts will provide a lot of job opportunities for Jammu and Kashmir’s youth. The foundation stone for the Ratle and Kwar hydroelectric plants was placed by the Prime Minister. On the Chenab River in Kishtwar District, the 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project would be built at a cost of roughly Rs 5300 crore. On the Chenab River in Kishtwar District, the 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project would be completed at a cost of around Rs 4500 crore. Both initiatives will contribute to meeting the region’s power needs.
“With the inauguration of a 500 KW solar power plant at Palli in Samba District, it is moving towards becoming the country’s first panchayat to become carbon neutral…The people of Palli have demonstrated what ‘Sabka prayas’ can do,” said PM Modi.
The Prime Minister officially opened the Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel, which cost over Rs 3100 crore to construct. The 8.45-kilometer tunnel would shorten the distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 kilometres and cut travel time in half.
It’s a two-tube tunnel, one for each direction of travel, with a cross passage every 500 metres for maintenance and emergency evacuation. The tunnel will aid in the establishment of an all-weather link between Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the two regions closer together.
The Prime Minister also paid a visit to the INTACH photo exhibition, which depicts the region’s rural legacy, and Nokia Smartpur, a rural entrepreneurship-based model aimed at establishing ideal smart villages in India. PM Modi is addressing to a crowd of over 30,000 members of the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) in Jammu and Kashmir, with PRIs from around the country virtually connected for the Prime Minister’s presentation.
