Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Baramati on Nov 3 to attend a series of events, including the inauguration of ‘Prerna Sthal’, where a statue of Lord Gautam Buddha would be unveiled, said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday.Pawar said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed the visit. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Sunetra Pawar and Eknath Shinde, and other dignitaries from various fields had also been invited, he said.PM is scheduled to arrive in Baramati around 10am. He is expected to be on Vidya Pratishtan campus for around three hours. After the unveiling of the statue, he is likely to interact with students and startup representatives at an artificial intelligence (AI) centre. He would also address the gathering, Pawar said.The NCP (SP) chief said ‘Prerna Sthal’ would feature paintings and photographs of prominent personalities, including Rajmata Jijau, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Yashwantrao Chavan.Earlier, the PM’s visit was expected in the last week of Oct. Pawar said the visit had been rescheduled to Nov 3 because of the code of conduct for the election.PM’s visit to Baramati comes at a time when most parts of Maharashtra are dealing with water scarcity and drought.Pawar has already started touring the drought-hit areas, starting from pockets of Pune district on Friday. He said his entire attention has been on helping the people who have demanded fodder, water and waivers. There was a need to extend all possible help to farmers and drought-affected people to tide over the crisis without politicising the issue.On Saturday, Pawar visited parts of Daund and Baramati to interact with people. He reiterated that farmers should be given a loan waiver, along with all necessary assistance and that people across all sectors should come forward to help them, he said.
