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PM inaugurates and lays foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 12,100 crores in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Published By : Admin | July 7, 2023 | 18:34 IST
Inaugurates Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction - Sonnagar railway line of Dedicated Freight Corridor
Dedicates four-lane widening of Varanasi - Jaunpur section of NH-56
Inaugurates multiple projects in Varanasi
Lays foundation stone for redevelopment of Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats
Lays foundation stone for students’ hostel at CIPET campus Karsara
Distributes loans of PM SVANidhi, keys of PMAY Rural houses and Ayushman cards to beneficiaries
“Today’s projects are expansion of our resolution of providing a new body to Kashi while retaining its ancient soul”
“Government has started a new tradition of dialogue and interaction with the beneficiaries, meaning ‘direct benefit as well as direct feedback”
“Beneficiary class has become an example of the truest form of social justice and secularism”
“Schemes like PM Awas and Ayushman impact multiple generations”
“Self-respect for the poor is Modi’s guarantee”
“Whether it is Gareeb Kalyan or infrastructure, there is no shortage of budget today”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 12,100 crores in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh today. The projects include the dedication of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction - Son Nagar railway line of Dedicated Freight Corridor, three railway lines whose electrification or doubling has been completed, four-lane widening of Varanasi-Jaunpur section of NH-56, and multiple projects in Varanasi. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for multiple railway projects including the construction and renovation of 15 PWD roads, 192 rural drinking water schemes, redesigning and redevelopment of Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats including floating changing room jetties at six religiously significant bathing ghats and construction of students’ hostel at CIPET campus Karsara. Shri Modi also initiated the distribution of loans of PM SVANidhi, keys of PMAY Rural houses and Ayushman Bharat cards. Upon arriving at the venue, the Prime Minister took a walkthrough of the model of Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that life becomes a blessing with the beginning of the pious month of Sravan, blessings of Lord Vishwanath, and Maa Ganga and the presence of the people of Varanasi. The Prime Minister noted that thousands of Shiva devotees are turning up to Varanasi to offer ‘Jal’ and said that it is certain that the city will witness a record number of pilgrims. “Those coming to Varanasi always return with a happy feeling”, the Prime Minister said as he highlighted the hospitality of the citizens. He praised the people of Kashi for welcoming the delegates of G20 and keeping the premises of places of worship clean and grand.

Referring to the projects worth about 12000 crore rupees for which foundation stones were laid. “This is an expansion of our resolution of providing a new body to Kashi while retaining its ancient soul”, the Prime Minister said. He congratulated the people for the projects.

The Prime Minister, who had earlier interacted with the beneficiaries of various schemes, said that during the earlier times, the schemes were not connected with the grassroots. He said that the current government has started a new tradition of dialogue and interaction with the beneficiaries, meaning ‘direct benefit as well as direct feedback”. This has resulted in better performances by the departments and officers, he added. “So many years after Independence, the true benefit of democracy has reached the correct people in the true sense”, the Prime Minister continued.

The Prime Minister underlined that the beneficiary class has become an example of the truest form of social justice and secularism as the Government strives to take the benefits to the last man in every scheme. This approach, the Prime Minister said, has led to the culling of commission seekers, brokers and scamsters thereby eliminating corruption and discrimination.

In the last 9 years, the Prime Minister said, the Government has not worked just for one family and a single generation but worked towards improving the lives of future generations as well. He gave the example of PMAY where more than 4 crore families have been handed pucca homes and mentioned that 4 lakh pucca homes have been delivered to beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh today. “These homes instill a feeling of security and boost the self-confidence of the owners”, the Prime Minister said as he highlighted that most of the homeowners are women who have had a property registered in their names for the first time. He said that these pucca houses provide a means of financial security to such women.

Continuing with the impact of the government schemes, the Prime Minister pointed out that Ayushman Bharat Scheme also is not limited to just free treatment worth 5 lakh, it impacts multiple generations as medical expenses can push generations into penury and debt. “Ayushman Yojana is protecting poor people from this fate. That is why, I am striving so hard to ensure the availability of the card to every poor in a mission mode, he said. Today’s event witnessed the start of the distribution of Ayushman Bharat Cards to one crore sixty lakh people.

“The biggest claim on the resources of a nation is of the poor and deprived”, the Prime Minister said, mentioning the steps of financial inclusion like 50 crore Jan Dhan Accounts, and loans without collateral under Mudra Scheme. This has benefited the poor, dalit, deprived, backward, tribal, minorities and women entrepreneurs.

The Prime Minister touched upon PM SVANidhi and said that even though most of the street vendors hail from backward communities, the Governments from the past never addressed their issues and only harassed them. The Prime Minister informed that more than 35 lakh people have benefitted from PM SVANidhi Yojna so far, and today, loans have been disbursed to more than 1.25 lakh beneficiaries in Varanasi. “Self-respect for the poor is Modi’s guarantee”, the Prime Minister exclaimed.

The Prime Minister highlighted the basic dishonesty of the previous regimes leading to perpetual deficiency of funds. Today, he said, “Whether it is Gareeb Kalyan or infrastructure, there is no shortage of budget. The same tax-payer, the same system, just the government has changed. As intentions changed, results also followed”, he said. News of scams and black marketing of the past have been replaced by the news of dedication and foundation stones of new projects. He gave the example of the Eastern Dedicated freight corridor, a project for a special track for goods trains, as an example of this change. He informed that the project conceived in 2006, did not see even a single kilometer long track till 2014. In the last 9 years, a significant part of the project has been completed and goods trains are operating in that area. “Even today, the new Sonnagar section from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction has been inaugurated. This will not only increase the speed of goods trains but many new employment opportunities will be created in Purvanchal and Eastern India”, he added.

Underlining the country’s desire for fast-running trains, the Prime Minister informed that even though the Rajdhani Express ran for the first time in the country about 50 years ago, it could run only on 16 routes today. He also gave the example of Shatabdi Express which began 30-35 years ago but is currently running on 19 routes only. The Prime Minister highlighted the Vande Bharat Express and informed that the train is running on 25 routes in a short span of 4 years. “Banaras has the claim for the country's first Vande Bharat”, the Prime Minister added. He informed that two new Vande Bharat Express trains have been flagged off from Gorakhpur today on Gorakhpur – Lucknow and Jodhpur – Ahmedabad routes. “This Vande Bharat has become such a superhit among the middle class of the country and its demand is only increasing”, Shri Modi said. He expressed confidence that the day is not far when Vande Bharat will connect every corner of the country.

Throwing light on the unprecedented work carried out to improve the connectivity of Kashi in the last 9 years, the Prime Minister underlined that it has created many new employment opportunities. He noted that 7 crore tourists and devotees came to Kashi which was a 12-fold rise within one year, thereby creating better opportunities for income from rickshaw pullers, the shopkeepers, to people working in dhabas and hotels and Banarasi saree industry. He also pointed out that the oarsmen have benefited a lot and expressed amazement at the number of boats during the Ganga Aarti in the evening. “You people keep taking care of Banaras like this”, he said.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister congratulated everyone for today’s project and expressed confidence that the development journey of Varanasi will continue with Baba's blessings.

Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Ms Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Keshav Prasad Maurya and Shri Brajesh Pathak, Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Shri Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prof S P Singh Baghel, and Minister of Uttar Pradesh Government among others were present on the occasion.

Background

The Prime Minister dedicated Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction - Son Nagar railway line of Dedicated Freight Corridor. Built at a cost of more than Rs 6760 crores, the new line will facilitate faster and more efficient movement of goods. He also dedicated to the nation three railway lines whose electrification or doubling has been completed at a cost of more than Rs 990 crores. These include Ghazipur city - Aunrihar rail line, Aunrihar- Jaunpur rail line and Bhatni- Aunrihar rail line. These projects have helped in achieving 100 percent electrification of railway lines in Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation, the four-lane widening of the Varanasi - Jaunpur section of NH-56, which has been completed at a cost of more than Rs 2750 crore making travel from Varanasi to Lucknow easier and faster;

Among the multiple projects in Varanasi that will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister include the construction and renovation of 18 PWD roads; International Girls Hostel building constructed at BHU campus; Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET)- Vocational Training Centre at village Karsara; Residential buildings and amenities in Police station Sindhaura, PAC Bhullanpur, Fire station Pindra and Govt residential school Tarsada; Economic Offences Research Organization building; Sewer line from Mohan Katra to Konia Ghat and a modern septage management system in village Ramna; 30 double-sided backlit LED unipoles; a cow dung-based bio-gas plant at NDDB Milk plant Ramnagar; and a unique floating changing rooms jetty at Dashashwamedh ghat which will facilitate the bathing of devotees in river Ganga.

The projects whose foundation stones were laid by the Prime Minister include the construction of 3 two-lane rail over bridge (ROB) near Chaukhandi, Kadipur and Hardattpur railway stations; the construction of Vyasnagar - Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Junction rail flyover; and construction and renovation of 15 PWD roads. These projects will be developed at a cumulative cost of about Rs 780 crores.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of 192 rural drinking water schemes, to be built at a cost of more than Rs 550 crores under the Jal Jeevan Mission. It will provide pure drinking water to 7 lakh people in 192 villages.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for redesigning and redevelopment of Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats. The redevelopment ghats will have provisions for public conveniences, waiting areas, wood storage, waste disposal and eco-friendly cremation pyres.

Other projects whose foundation stones were laid include floating changing room jetties at six religiously significant bathing ghats on the river Ganges in Varanasi on the lines of floating changing room jetties of Dashashwamedh Ghat and the construction of students hostel at CIPET campus Karsara.

During the programme, the Prime Minister also distributed the loans of PMSVANidhi, keys of PMAY Rural houses and Ayushman Bharat cards to the beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh. This will kickstart the Grih Pravesh of 5 lakh PMAY beneficiaries, the distribution of 1.25 lakh PMSVANidhi loans to eligible beneficiaries and the distribution of 2.88 crores Ayushman cards.

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India-Slovakia Joint Statement
June 15, 2026

At the invitation of His Excellency Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, paid a State Visit to the Slovak Republic on 15 June 2026.

The visit is the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Slovakia since its independence in 1993, marking a historic milestone and charting a new course in the enduring friendship between the two nations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993, India and Slovakia have developed a traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation based on trust, equality and mutual respect.

Building on the historic nature of this visit and their shared commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India and the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic agreed to elevate the relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership between the Republic of India and the Slovak Republic. The Comprehensive Partnership aims to take bilateral relations to a new level, strengthen existing cooperation mechanisms and explore new avenues for deepening cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Recognising the growing geopolitical, economic and technological importance of the Indo-Pacific, the two leaders acknowledged the value of a stronger partnership between India and Slovakia in support of mutually beneficial cooperation, regional connectivity, open international trade, freedom of navigation, peaceful resolution of disputes and a rules-based international order.

Both leaders underscored the importance of regular high-level exchanges and sustained political dialogue, and agreed to enhance exchanges of delegations at all levels. The two sides also agreed to enhance parliamentary exchanges, contacts and cooperation with a view to promoting greater mutual understanding and sharing of legislative experiences and best practices.

The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, and to a rules-based international order, while supporting comprehensive reforms of multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to make them more representative, inclusive, effective and reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities. The leaders stressed on the urgent need to expand the UN Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories. In this context, India appreciated Slovakia’s continued support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council. The two leaders also agreed to continue consultations and coordination on their respective candidacies in international organisations and to exchange views and cooperate closely in global forums, including the United Nations. The two leaders also discussed the importance of upholding the global nonproliferation architecture. Slovakia reaffirmed its constructive approach to India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The leaders agreed to support the development of cooperation with regional groupings such as the Slavkov 3, Visegrad 4 and 3 Seas Initiative, including interconnected and mutually beneficial infrastructure projects that promote connectivity, sustainable economic growth and regional integration. The two sides further reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, based on respect for international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The leaders underscored the importance of strengthening defence and security cooperation as one of the key pillars of the bilateral partnership. They agreed to encourage regular consultations and exchanges between their respective defence authorities to explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration, including in defence technologies, capacity building, research and development, and defence industrial cooperation. In this context, the leaders welcomed the signing of the Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation between the two sides, which will foster mutually beneficial partnerships in the defence sector.

The leaders recognised the growing importance of strengthening cooperation in disaster risk reduction and resilience-building and agreed to enhance collaboration in the areas of resilient infrastructure, capacity building, knowledge sharing and institutional cooperation.

The leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the protection of critical information infrastructure and in preventing and countering cybercrime, while promoting an open, secure, accessible, stable, interoperable, resilient and peaceful digital space. The leaders also expressed their commitment to supporting each other in safeguarding information technology systems against emerging quantum threats to cryptography, including through preparedness for post-quantum security transitions. In this context, they noted that such cooperation would be further facilitated by the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in the field of critical infrastructure protection and postquantum cryptography.

The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025. They agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on Counter- Terrorism. They called for concerted international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation in counterterrorism, including within the framework of the United Nations, and called for strong and decisive action against terrorists and terrorist entities, including those designated by the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee, as well as their affiliates, proxies, sponsors, financiers and supporters. They further underscored the importance of holding perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of terrorist acts accountable and agreed to work closely towards the early finalisation and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) within the United Nations framework.

Welcoming the conclusion of negotiations on the India–EU Free Trade Agreement in January 2026 and the new Joint India–EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda, the two leaders noted that the FTA will unlock new opportunities for trade and investment and called for its early signing and timely implementation to realise the full potential of trade and investment cooperation by diversifying critical value chains and opening new markets.

The leaders agreed to further strengthen the role of the India–Slovakia Joint Economic Committee in identifying and promoting high-potential areas of economic cooperation between the two countries. They also committed to exploring avenues to significantly enhance bilateral trade and two-way investment across sectors such as automotive, electronics and other advanced manufacturing industries, leveraging Slovakia’s well-developed industrial ecosystem and India’s scale, innovation ecosystem and technological capabilities, with a particular focus on high value-added collaboration.

The two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to achieve netzero emissions, focusing on the exchange of technologies for the green energy transition and promoting clean, reliable and resilient energy systems.

The leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in the energy sector with a view to promoting energy security, sustainability and resilience through diversification of energy sources, including nuclear energy and geothermal power. They expressed their intent to deepen collaboration through joint research, exchange of expertise and capacity-building initiatives in areas of mutual interest.

The leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of meteorology and hydrology, including through the sharing of expertise and best practices in the efficient and sustainable management of water resources and dam safety. They further expressed their intent to promote collaboration in areas such as source sustainability, rural drinking water quality monitoring, water treatment technologies, capacity building and community participation, and underscored the importance of developing climate-resilient rural drinking water infrastructure to enhance water security and ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water.

Recognising connectivity as a strategic pillar of the partnership, the two sides underscored the importance of promoting joint ventures, technology transfer, innovation and skills development in the automotive and railway sectors, with a view to enhancing competitiveness and generating new employment opportunities. They further noted the potential of Slovakia’s position as a Central European transport hub and India’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities to boost trade, investment and connectivity. They also encouraged exploring of direct air connectivity between India and Slovakia to facilitate growing economic, business and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders appreciated the successful outcomes of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, attended by H.E. Mr Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic. The two sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Technologies, which will provide a structured framework for deepening cooperation in the digital domain. They agreed to further strengthen collaboration in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, start-ups, innovation ecosystems, research institutions and technology companies, with a view to fostering innovation-led growth and mutually beneficial partnerships. The two sides also agreed to explore cooperation in new and emerging technologies, including 5G use cases, 6G standardisation, Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.

The two leaders agreed to explore opportunities to strengthen cooperation between their respective space ecosystems in the field of satellite technology and its applications. They also underscored the importance of fostering exchanges between scientific and research institutions, as well as industry stakeholders, to encourage innovation and the development of advanced space technologies.

The leaders highlighted the need to maintain regular dialogue and deepen cooperation in the field of healthcare, with particular emphasis on pharmaceutical research and development, digital health solutions and the strengthening of human resources for health. The two sides also underscored the importance of sharing best practices in public health management and leveraging digital technologies to build more resilient, efficient and patientcentric healthcare systems, consistent with their respective national priorities.

The two leaders agreed to encourage enhanced mobility of students, academics and researchers, with particular emphasis on STEM and humanities disciplines, in order to promote deeper educational and scientific exchanges. They took note of the existing arrangements and collaborations between higher education institutions of the two countries and encouraged their further expansion and diversification. The two sides also welcomed the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the respective Ministries of Education in the field of higher education and research, which would provide a structured framework for strengthening academic linkages and fostering long-term institutional partnerships.

The leaders agreed to further promote cultural exchanges, tourism and people-to-people contacts with a view to deepening mutual understanding and strengthening the bonds of friendship between the peoples of India and Slovakia. They emphasized the importance of expanding cultural cooperation through regular exchanges of artists and cultural troupes, the organisation of exhibitions and participation in festivals, as well as by encouraging greater tourism flows in both directions. The leaders also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Audio-visual Creation, which will provide a structured framework for collaboration in film and media production and further enhance cultural connectivity between the two countries.

The leaders expressed support for the orderly, safe and legal mobility of skilled professionals. They took note of the Comprehensive Framework of Cooperation on Mobility agreed between India and the European Union in January 2026. They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Labour Migration to facilitate mobility and promote the exchange of information between the relevant authorities of India and Slovakia. The two sides also agreed to work towards the early conclusion of a Social Security Agreement, which would contribute to safeguarding the welfare and social protection of working professionals engaged in mobility between India and Slovakia.

The leaders noted that cooperation on consular matters remained an area of continued interest to both countries, given the growing movement of people and expanding people-to-people ties. In this context, they agreed to establish a mechanism for regular consular consultations between their respective consular authorities to facilitate cooperation on consular matters.

The leaders agreed to regularly review the implementation of the Comprehensive Partnership at the appropriate functional level.

Both leaders agreed that the present visit represents a significant step forward in transforming this India-Slovakia relationship and committed to taking bilateral relations forward into a new phase of engagement.

The Prime Ministers welcomed the announcements made and the MoUs signed, which are available on the MEA website.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Fico and the people of Slovakia for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation. Both leaders agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges.