Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, March 6 unveiled projects worth ₹12,800 crore in Bihar’s West Champaran district.
Several infrastructure-related projects in rail, road, petroleum and natural gas sectors were inaugurated at Bettiah.
Addressing a rally at Bettiah, PM Modi said that under the double-engine Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre and a Nitish Kumar-led NDA dispensation in the state, Bihar is fast moving on the path of regaining its glory.
“Under the double-engine government, Bihar is fast moving on the path of regaining its old glory. Bihar has led the country for centuries. I am addressing developed India, developed Bihar programme in Bettiah,” he said.
Janata Dal (United) president Kumar took oath as chief minister of Bihar for a record ninth time after a dramatic volte-face, ditching the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and the opposition INDIA bloc, and forming a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago.
The prime minister also apologised for arriving late, and told the gathering that he was in West Bengal.
“I want to apologise for my late arrival. I was in Bengal. And these days, the enthusiasm of Bengal is also something different. There was a 12-km long roadshow,” he said.
“For a Viksit Bharat, it is essential for Bihar to be developed. After the double-engine development in Bihar, there is a speed in the works related to a developed Bihar. Today, Bihar has got a gift of around ₹13,000 crore,” PM Modi added.
Governor Rajendra V Arlekar, Deputy CMs Samat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and state minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary of the JD(U) were among those present at the programme.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has, however, not attended the event.
The prime minister inaugurated the 109-km-long Muzaffarpur-Motihari LPG pipeline of Indian Oil, which will not only provide cleaner cooking fuel to the people of Bihar but also to neighbouring Nepal.
He also inaugurated Indian Oil’s LPG bottling plant and storage terminal at Motihari. It would also act as a strategic supply point for the export of petroleum products to Nepal, besides the eight districts of north Bihar.
PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the city gas distribution project in East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan and Deoria, and grain-based ethanol projects at HCPCL Biofuels Ltd’s facilities at Sugauli and Lauriya.
Among the railway projects he inaugurated were the doubling of the 62-km line from Bapudham Motihari to Piprahan, and the gauge conversion of the Narkatiaganj-Gaunaha section.
The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for the doubling and electrification of the 96-km-long Gorakhpur Cantt–Valmiki Nagar rail line, and the redevelopment of the Bettiah railway station.
He flagged off two new trains on the Narkatiaganj-Gaunaha and Raxaul-Jogbani routes.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi met a group of women from Sandeshkhali in West Bengal, where allegations of sexual abuse against Trinamool Congress leaders have been levelled.
He met them following a public rally at Barasat in North 24 Parganas district where Sandeshkhali is located.
(With PTI inputs)
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Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
