Guwahati, Mar 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation for projects worth around Rs 19,680 crore, with focus on infrastructure and energy sectors.
He also launched the distribution of land pattas to tea workers of Assam in garden housing lines, and released the 22nd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme for over 9.3 crore farmers across the country.
Modi had reached Guwahati earlier in the day on a two-day visit to the poll-bound state, his fourth in as many months.
To provide homestead land rights to the tea garden community, the PM launched the first phase of distribution of land pattas to workers of 106 tea gardens across 20 districts, officials said.
Secure land ownership is expected to improve housing security, enable better access to institutional credit and welfare schemes, and promote long-term social and economic mobility, they added.
In the same programme, Modi released the 22nd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme to over 9.3 crore farmers across the country, under which eligible farmers receive Rs 2,000 directly into their bank accounts.
The PM dedicated to the nation the Kopili Hydro-Electric Project located in Dima Hasao and West Karbi Anglong districts of the state.
Constructed at a cost of over Rs 2,300 crore, the project will enhance clean energy generation, improve grid stability in the region and ensure reliable power supply to households, farmers and industries.
The Capacity Enhancement Project of the Numaligarh-Siliguri Product Pipeline (NSPL) of Oil India Limited was also dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister.
The project will facilitate the expansion of the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) from 3 million metric tonnes per annum to 9 MMTPA by enabling the evacuation of additional petroleum products.
The PM also inaugurated Phase 1 of the North East Gas Grid, a major pipeline project connecting Guwahati with Numaligarh, Gohpur and Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), with a branch line extending to Dimapur (Nagaland).
He also laid the foundation stone for NRL’s Rail-Fed POL Terminal at Panchgram in Hailakandi district.
These projects will significantly strengthen energy infrastructure in the North East and enhance national energy security, officials said.
Major railway electrification projects, including the Rs 420-crore Rangiya-Murkongselek rail line (558 km) and the Rs 1,180-crore Chaparmukh–Dibrugarh rail line (571 km), and Badarpur-Silchar and Badarpur-Churaibari rail lines, built at a cost of around Rs 650 crore, were dedicated to the nation by the PM.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for the 194-km Furkating-Tinsukia rail line doubling project costing over Rs 3,600 crore.
In the waterways sector, Modi laid the foundation stone for cruise terminals at Bishwanath Ghat in Biswanath district and Neamati in Jorhat district.
He performed the Bhoomi Poojan for the Regional Centre of Excellence (RCoE) at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, which will serve as a premier maritime training and research hub for the North East region.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the approach road connecting Pandu Jetty to NH-27 in Guwahati.
Modi also inaugurated the PM Ekta Mall in Guwahati, which has been envisioned as a major commercial and tourism hub for Assam and the North Eastern region, featuring permanent stalls for One District One Product (ODOP) items, GI-tagged products, handicrafts and handloom goods from Assam and other states.
The facility also includes showrooms of leading Indian brands, food courts, modern amenities, parking and digital kiosks, providing a platform for local artisans and promoting regional culture and industry.
