Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a 50,000-women-strong Nari Shakti Vandana Sammelan in Varanasi on Tuesday evening. Political observers say the PM may use the occasion to unleash a sharp rebuke to the opposition for blocking the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament after launching and laying the foundation for 163 projects worth Rs 6,350 crore.In a 20-hour visit starting 4.30 pm Tuesday, PM Modi will address the ‘Nari Shakti Janakrosh Mahila Sammelan’ at BLW ground and flag off two Amrit Bharat Express trains at Banaras station the next morning.
On Wednesday morning, PM Modi will offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath amid a shower of flower petals before leaving for Hardoi to inaugurate the 594-km access-controlled Greenfield Ganga Expressway. Party office-bearers said it will not be a roadshow, but arrangements are being made on similar lines. The PM will be greeted at Banaras railway station, Police Lines, Lahurabir and Maidagin before reaching the KVT.According to the final list, PM Modi will dedicate 50 projects worth Rs 1,055 crore to the nation. Key infrastructure projects include the Varanasi-Azamgarh road widening, rail overbridges at Kazzakpura and Kadipur, and a 55-MLD sewage treatment plant at Bhagwanpur.The list of community-focused projects includes 30 rural drinking water schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission, the redeveloped Chandrawati Ghat, tourism upgrades at Sarangnath Temple near Sarnath, and the beautification of Sant Ravidas Park in Nagwa. Public services and sports also get a boost with a synthetic hockey turf at UP College, a 100-bed old-age home in Ramnagar, and a 1-MW solar plant at Bhelupur Water Treatment Plant. The Sowa Rigpa Bhawan and Hospital at the Central University of Tibetan Studies, aimed at integrating traditional medicine with modern healthcare, will also be inaugurated.Modi will also lay the foundation of 113 projects worth Rs 5,277 crore. The list includes 13 sewerage and water supply schemes under AMRUT 2.0, a 500-bed multi-super-speciality hospital at Shri Shiv Prasad Gupta Divisional District Hospital, construction of market complexes and office spaces at Bhojubir and Sigra, renovation and rejuvenation of ponds, redevelopment of a 198-bed hospital, construction of a 100-bed critical care block, and development of tourism facilities at key ghats including Assi Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, and Namo Ghat, to strengthen governance and social welfare infrastructure.PM Modi will also lay the foundation for the Integrated Divisional Commissioner Office, Nagar Nigam office building, and a government child shelter home and Juvenile Justice Board in Ramnagar. He will also lay the foundation for the Varanasi Junction–Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction third and fourth railway line project, which includes a rail-cum-road bridge over the Ganga. The project will ease rail congestion in Varanasi and Chandauli, improve logistics, boost multi-modal connectivity, and smoothen traffic. It will also improve access to Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Ramnagar, and NH-19, while strengthening rail links to eastern UP and Bihar.He will also transfer over Rs 105 crore as a bonus into the bank accounts of UP milk suppliers linked to Banas Dairy. He will then address the women’s convention. With Modi known for late-night inspections during past visits with CM Yogi Adityanath, officials have kept routes to ongoing projects and key sites ready for any surprise check.The series of Wednesday events will start with the flagging off of two new Amrit Bharat Express trains: Banaras-Pune (Hadapsar) and Ayodhya-Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus). These trains will provide affordable and modern travel options and enhance connectivity between Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The Banaras-Pune service will facilitate easier access to Kashi Vishwanath Dham, while the Ayodhya-Mumbai service will improve connectivity to the Ram Temple, strengthening links between key religious destinations.
