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Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Sikh delegation at his residence

Published By : Admin | April 29, 2022 | 17:30 IST
“Going to Gurudwaras, spending time in ‘sewa’, getting langar, staying at the homes of Sikh families has been a part of my life”
“Our Gurus have taught us courage and service”
“New India is scaling new dimensions and is leaving its mark on the whole world”
“I have always considered our Indian diaspora as ‘Rashtrdoot’ of India. All of you are the strong voice and lofty identity of Maa Bharati abroad”
“Feet of Gurus sanctified this great land and inspired its people”
“Sikh tradition is a living tradition of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat’”
​​​​​​​“Sikh community is synonymous with the courage, prowess and hard work of the country”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today hosted a Sikh delegation at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the official residence of the Prime Minister. The group included people from different walks of life. Union Minister, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri was among those present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister recalled his long association with the Sikh community. “Going to Gurudwaras, spending time in ‘sewa’, getting langar, staying at the homes of Sikh families has been a part of my life. The feet of Sikh saints keep falling from time to time in the Prime Minister's residence here. I keep getting the good fortune of their company”, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister also recalled his visits to the places of Sikh heritage all over the world during his visits abroad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “our Gurus have taught us courage and service. The people of India have gone to different parts of the world without any resources and achieved success through their labour. This is the spirit of New India today too”, he said.

Reiterating his appreciation for the mood of new India, the Prime Minister said New India is scaling new dimensions and is leaving its mark on the whole world. Period of Corona epidemic is the biggest example of this. At the beginning of the epidemic, people with old mindset were expressing concerns about India. But now, people are giving the example of India for its handling of the pandemic. Earlier concerns were being voiced over the enormity of  population of India and many were doubtful about vaccine for Indians. But today India has emerged as the biggest vaccine maker. “You will also be proud to hear that 99 percent of the vaccination has been done through our own Made in India Vaccines” ,he said.

The Prime Minister said in this difficult period, India has emerged as one of the world’s largest start up ecosystems. “The number of our unicorns is constantly increasing. This growing stature and credibility of India provides maximum satisfaction and pride to our diaspora”, he added. The Prime Minister said “I have always considered our Indian diaspora as Rashtrdoot of India. All of you are the strong voice and lofty identity of Maa Bharati abroad.” He said even diaspora feels proud about the strides of growth that India is taking. “Wherever we are in the world, ‘India First’ needs to be our primary faith, he added.

Bowing to the great contribution and sacrifices of the Gurus, the Prime Minister recalled how Guru Nanak Dev ji awakened the consciousness of the entire nation and brought the nation out of darkness and took it on the path of light. He said that the Gurus travelled all over India and everywhere there are their signs and inspirations. They are revered and there is faith in them everywhere. The Prime Minister said that the feet of Gurus sanctified this great land and inspired its people. Sikh tradition is a living tradition of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat’, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed the county’s gratitude for Sikh Community’s contribution during the freedom struggle and after Independence. He said that ‘Sikh community is synonymous with the courage, prowess and hard work of the country’.

The Prime Minister once again elaborated on his vision of India’s freedom struggle. He said that this struggle is not confined to a limited period but is a manifestation of thousands of years of consciousness, ideals, spiritual values and ‘tapasya’.

The Prime Minister expressed happiness on the good fortune of being associated with the landmark events like Guru Teg Bahadur’s 400th Prakash Purab, Guru Nanak Devji’s 550th  Prakash Purab and Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s 350th Prakash Purab. He also said that events like construction of Kartarpur Corridor, making langars tax free, FCRA permission for Harmandir Sahib and improving infrastructure and cleanliness around Gurudwaras have been done in the tenure of this government.

The Prime Minister referred to the Gurus’ emphasis on duty and linked it with the same emphasis on sense of duty in the Amrit Kaal and said mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas is an evocation of this spirit. He said this sense of duty is important not only for the present but also for our future generations. He praised the Sikh community for being always active for the causes of environment, nutrition, and protection of cultural values. He concluded by requesting the gathering to contribute in the recently launched campaign for Amrit Sarovars.

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Cabinet approves Rs 1,526.21 crore upgrade of NH-326 in Odisha
December 31, 2025

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the widening and strengthening of existing 2-Lane to 2-Lane with Paved Shoulder from Km 68.600 to Km 311.700 of NH-326 in the State of Odisha under NH(O) on EPC mode.

Financial implications:

The total capital cost for the project is Rs.1,526.21 crore, which includes a civil construction cost of Rs.966.79 crore.

Benefits:

The upgradation of NH-326 will make travel faster, safer, and more reliable, resulting in overall development of southern Odisha, particularly benefiting the districts of Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput. Improved road connectivity will directly benefit local communities, industries, educational institutions, and tourism centres by enhancing access to markets, healthcare, and employment opportunities, thereby contributing to the region’s inclusive growth.

Details:

  • The section of Mohana–Koraput of the National Highway (NH-326) at present have sub-standard geometry (intermediate lane/2-lane, many deficient curves and steep gradients); the existing road alignment, carriageway width and geometric deficiencies constrain safe, efficient movement of heavy vehicles and reduce freight throughput to coastal ports and industrial centres. These constraints will be removed by upgrading the corridor to 2-lane with paved shoulders with geometric corrections (curve realignments and gradient improvements), removal of black spots and pavement strengthening, enabling safe and uninterrupted movement of goods and passengers and reducing vehicle operating costs.
  • The upgradation will provide direct and improved connectivity from Mohana–Koraput into major economic and logistics corridors — linking with NH-26, NH-59, NH-16 and the Raipur–Visakhapatnam corridor and improving last-mile access to Gopalpur port, Jeypore airport and several railway stations. The corridor connects important industrial and logistic nodes (JK Paper, Mega Food Park, NALCO, IMFA, Utkal Alumina, Vedanta, HAL) and education/tourism hubs (Central University of Odisha, Koraput Medical College, Taptapani, Rayagada), thereby facilitating faster freight movement, reducing travel time and enabling regional economic development.
  • The project lies in southern Odisha (districts of Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput) and will significantly improve intra-state and inter-state connectivity by making vehicle movement faster and safer, stimulating industrial and tourism growth and improving access to services in aspirational and tribal areas. Economic analysis shows the project’s EIRR at 17.95% (base case) while the financial return (FIRR) is negative (-2.32%), reflecting the social and non-market benefits captured in the economic appraisal; the economic justification is driven largely by travel-time and vehicle-operating-cost savings and safety benefits (including an estimated travel-time saving of about 2.5–3.0 hours and a distance saving of ~12.46 km between Mohana and Koraput after geometric improvements).

Implementation strategy and targets:

  • The work will be implemented on EPC mode. Contractors will be required to adopt proven construction and quality-assurance technologies, which may include precast box-type structures and precast drains, precast RCC/PSC girders for bridges and grade separators, precast crash barriers and friction slabs on Reinforced-Earth wall portions, and Cement Treated Sub-Base (CTSB) in pavement layers. Quality and progress will be verified through specialized survey and monitoring tools such as Network Survey Vehicle (NSV), periodic drone-mapping. Day-to-day supervision will be carried out by an appointed Authority Engineer and project monitoring will be conducted through the Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS).
  • The work is targeted to be completed in 24 months from the appointed date for each package, followed by a five-year defect liability/maintenance period (total contract engagement envisaged as 7 years: 2 years construction + 5 years DLP). Contract award will follow after completion of statutory clearances and required land possession.

Major impact, including employment generation potential:

  • This project is aimed at providing faster and safer movement of traffic and improving connectivity between the southern and eastern parts of Odisha, particularly linking the districts of Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput with the rest of the State and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The improved road network will facilitate industrial growth, promote tourism, enhance access to education and healthcare facilities, and contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the tribal and backward regions of southern Odisha.
  • Various activities undertaken during the construction and maintenance period are expected to generate significant direct and indirect employment opportunities for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The project will also boost local industries involved in the supply of construction materials, transportation, equipment maintenance, and related services, thus supporting the regional economy.
  • The project is located in the State of Odisha and traverses three districts — Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput. The corridor connects major towns such as Mohana, Rayagada, Laxmipur, and Koraput, providing improved intra-state connectivity within Odisha and enhancing inter-state linkage with Andhra Pradesh through the southern end of NH-326.

Background:

Government has declared the stretch “the Highway starting from its junction with NH-59 near Aska, passing through Mohana, Raipanka, Amalabhata, Rayagada, Laxmipur and terminating at its junction with NH-30 near Chinturu in the State of Odisha” as NH-326 vide Gazette Notification dated 14th August 2012.