PM Modi to visit Himachal's Mandi to inaugurate Rs 11,000 crore worth hydropower projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district on Monday, December 27. The PM, who will arrive here tomorrow morning, will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over Rs 11,000 crores. PM Modi is also likely to attend a rally in Mandi to mark the 4th anniversary of the Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) Government in Himachal Pradesh.

As per PMO’s press release, the Prime Minister will arrive in Mandi to inaugurate the hydropower projects at around 12 noon. Meanwhile, the PM will also preside over the second ground-breaking ceremony of the Himachal Pradesh Global Investors’ Meet before this event. The Investors’ Meet will take place at around 11:30 AM. “The Meet is expected to give a boost to investment in the region through the start of projects worth around Rs 28,000 crore,” the PMO stated. “PM Modi has constantly focussed on fully utilising the untapped potential of the resources available in the country. In this regard, one of the steps has been to optimally utilize the hydropower potential in the Himalayan region,” the PMO said.

PM to inaugrate hydropower projects worth over Rs 11,000 crore

Following this, the PM will lay the foundation stone of Renukaji Dam project. “Lying pending for around three decades, the project was made possible through the vision of cooperative federalism of the Prime Minister, when six states viz Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi were brought together by the Centre for making the project possible. The 40 MW project will be built at a cost of around Rs 7000 crore. It will prove to be immensely beneficial for Delhi, which will be able to receive around 500 million cubic metre water supply per year," the statement read.

Apart from this, the PM will also lay the foundation stone of the Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project, the 210 MW project will be built at a cost of over Rs 1800 crore and the Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project. The Dhaulasidh plant will become the first hydropower project of Hamirpur district. The 66 MW project will be built at a cost of over Rs 680 crore, leading to the generation of over 300 million units of electricity per year. The PM will also lay the foundation stone of Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Power Project. Built at a cost of around Rs 2080 crore, this will lead to generation of over 380 million units of electricity per year, and help the state earn revenue worth over Rs 120 crore annually.

According to the party official, PM Modi will also attend a public meeting in Mandi on the same day. The political development comes a day after the state's Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and PM Modi held a meeting in Delhi after the former had put forth a meeting request. The decision to reach the state came after BJP lost Mandi Lok Sabha and all three assembly seats in October bypolls -- Fatehpur, Arki, Jubbal-Kotkhai. The PM will arrive at the district and inaugurate the various projects on hold here.

(Image: PTI)