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PM inaugurates, dedicates to nation and lays the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 15,700 crore

Published By : Admin | December 30, 2023 | 14:00 IST
Ayodhya and its surrounding areas to benefit from development projects worth more than Rs 11,100 crore
“The world is eagerly awaiting for 22nd January, I too am looking forward to it”
“Campaign of Viksit Bharat is getting new energy from Ayodhya”
“Today’s India is moving incorporating both ancient and modern”
“Not only Awadh region, but Ayodya will give new direction to the development of the entire Uttar Pradesh”
“Maharishi Valmiki’s Ramayana is the path of knowledge which connects us to Shri Ram”
“Sense of service to the poor underlie modern Amrit Bharat trains”
“Light Shri Ram Jyoti on 22nd January in every household”
“For security and logistics reasons, plan your visit to Ayodhya only after 22nd January once the ceremony is over”
“Celebrate the grand Ram temple with a huge campaign of cleanliness at the pilgrimage sites across the country from 14th January, the day of Makar Sankranti”
“Today the country has faith in Modi's guarantee because Modi puts in all his efforts to fulfill the guarantees he gives. Ayodhya is also a witness to this”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 15,700 crore at Ayodhya Dham. These include projects worth about Rs 11,100 crore for development of Ayodhya and its surrounding areas and projects worth about Rs 4600 crore related to other projects across Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier PM Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station and flagged off new Amrit Bharat trains and Vande Bharat trains. He also dedicated several other railway projects to the nation. After that, he also inaugurated the newly built Ayodhya Airport. The airport has been named Maharishi Valmiki International Airport.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister, while expressing delight to be in Ayodhya Dham, noted the fervour and enthusiasm in the holy city during his roadshow. The Prime Minister said that “the world is eagerly waiting for 22nd January. I am a devotee of every particle and person of India, I too am eager” for the day of Pran Pratishtha at the upcoming Ram Temple.

The Prime Minister noted the significance of 30th December as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose unfurled tricolour on this day in Andaman in 1943. “On such an auspicious day associated with the freedom movement, today we are carrying forward the resolve of the Amrit Kaal”, he added. He said that the campaign of Viksit Bharat is getting new energy from Ayodhya and congratulated the people of Ayodhya for the development projects. He emphasized that these projects will re-establish Ayodhya on the national map.

The Prime Minister stressed that taking care of heritage is an integral part of scaling new heights of development. “Today’s India is moving while incorporating both ancient and modern” he said and elaborated the point by juxtaposing grand temple of Ram Lala with pucca houses for 4 crore poor citizens; renovation of places of faith with strides in Digital India; Kashi Vishwanath Dham with more than 30,000 panchayat bhawans; revamping of Kedar Dham with more than 315 medical colleges; Mahakaal Mahalok with Har Ghar Jal; achievements in space and ocean with bringing back heritage artifacts from abroad.

He continued, referring to the upcoming Pran Pratishtha, and said ‘today here is celebration of progress, after some days there will be festival of tradition, today we see grandeur of development, after some days we feel the divinity of the heritage. This collective strength of development and heritage will take India forward in the 21st century.” Referring to the ancient glory of Ayodhya as described by Maharishi Valmiki himself, the Prime Minister reiterated the desire to bring that grandeur back by linking it with modernity.

“Not only Awadh region, but Ayodya will give new direction to the development of the entire Uttar Pradesh”, said PM Modi. He pointed out the projected increase of pilgrims and tourists coming to the holy city in the wake of the grand temple and said that infrastructure is being revamped to meet the demand.

The Prime Minister expressed happiness on naming Ayodhya Airport after Maharishi Valmiki. He said Maharishi Valmiki’s Ramayana is the path of knowledge which connects us to Shri Ram. Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in modern India will connect us to Ayodhya Dham and the divine-grand-new Ram temple. In the first phase the airport can handle 10 lakh passengers annually and after the second phase, Maharishi Valmiki International Airport will cater to 60 lakh commuters annually. Ayodhya Dham Railway Station handles 10 thousand people now this will reach 60 thousand after revamping will be complete, he informed. Similarly, he informed that with Ram Path, Bhakti Path, Dharm Path and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path, car parkings, new medical colleges, preventing pollution of Saryu ji, transformation of Ram ki Pedi, upgradation of the ghats, renovation of ancient kunds, Lata Mangeshkar Chowk are giving new identity to Ayodhya and creating new avenues of income and employment in the holy city.

The Prime Minister informed about the new train series ‘Amrit Bharat’ trains after Vande Bharat and Namo Bharat and expressed delight that the first Amrit Bharat train is going through Ayodhya. He congratulated people of UP, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and Karnataka for getting these trains today. The Prime MInister highlighted the sense of service to the poor that underlie modern Amrit Bharat trains. “People who often travel long distances due to their work, and those who do not have that much income, are also entitled to modern facilities and comfortable travel. These trains have been designed keeping in mind the dignity in the life of the poor”, he added. The Prime Minister also highlighted the role that Vande Bharat trains are playing in linking development with heritage. “The country's first Vande Bharat Express train ran from Kashi. Today Vande Bharat Express trains are running on 34 routes in the country. Vande Bharat connects Kashi, Katra, Ujjain, Pushkar, Tirupati, Shirdi, Amritsar, Madurai, every such big center of faith. In this series, today Ayodhya has also got the gift of Vande Bharat train”, said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister listed ancient traditions of ‘yatras’ in all parts of the country and said the facilities being created in Ayodhya Dham will make the Yatra of devotees to the Dham more comfortable.

The Prime Minister asked all the 140 crore Indians to light Shri Ram Jyoti. “This historical moment has very fortunately come into the lives of all of us. We have to take a new resolution for the country and fill it with new energy”, PM Modi said. Keeping in mind the desire of everyone to be present for Pran Pratishtha, the Prime Minister also requested everyone to plan their visit to Ayodhya only after the programme of 22nd January as it is important from the point of view of security and arrangements. He asked everyone to plan their visit after 23rd January. “We waited for 550 years, wait for some more time”, he requested.

Preparing the people of Ayodhya for innumerable visitors in future, the Prime MInister reiterated his emphasis on cleanliness and asked them to make Ayodhya the cleanest city of the country.” For the grand Ram temple, a huge campaign of cleanliness should be launched at the pilgrimage sites across the country from 14th January, the day of Makar Sankranti”, the Prime MInister called upon the citizens of India.

The Prime Minister also narrated his experience of visiting the house of the 10 croreth beneficiary of Ujjwala Gas Connection. He expressed happiness that Ujjwala Scheme, started on first May 2016 in Ballia district of UP has helped so many women from the smoke and transformed their lives. He said that 18 crore gas connections including 10 crore free connections have been provided in the last 10 years as compared to just 14 crore connections in the 50-55 years before that.

The Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to serve the people with all his might. “Nowadays some people ask me why Modi's guarantee has so much strength. Modi's guarantee has so much power because Modi does what he says. Today the country has faith in Modi's guarantee because Modi puts in all his efforts to fulfill the guarantees he gives. This city of Ayodhya is also a witness to this. And today I will once again assure the people of Ayodhya that we will leave no stone unturned in the development of this holy place”, he concluded

Details of the project

Improved civic infrastructure in Ayodhya

To enhance accessibility to the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir, the Prime Minister inaugurated four newly redeveloped, widened and beautified roads in Ayodhya - Rampath, Bhaktipath, Dharampath, and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated and dedicated to the nation a number of projects that will strengthen the civic infrastructure and beautify the public places in and around Ayodhya. These inaugurated projects include Rajarshi Dashrath Autonomous State Medical College; four-lane road connecting Ayodhya-Sultanpur Road-Airport; four-lane road till Tedhi Bazaar Shri Ram Janmabhoomi via NH-27 bypass Mahobra Bazaar; several beautified roads across the city and the Ayodhya bypass; Jagdishpur-Faizabad section of NH-330A; widening and strengthening of Maholi-Baragaon-Deodhi road and Jasarpur-Bhaupur-Gangaraman-Sureshnagar road; ROB at Badi Bua Railway Crossing on Panchkosi Parikrama Marg; solid waste treatment Plant in village Pikhrauli; and new buildings and classrooms in Dr. Brajkishore Homoeopathic College and Hospital, among others. The Prime Minister also inaugurated works related to Mukhyamantri Nagar Srijan Yojana work and five parking and commercial facilities.

Foundation stone of new projects in Ayodhya

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of new projects which will further help in the revamp of civic facilities in Ayodhya while also strengthening the rich cultural heritage of the city. These include conservation and beautification of four historical entrance gates in Ayodhya; new concrete ghats between Guptar Ghat and Rajghat and rehabilitation of pre-built ghats; development and beautification of tourist facilities from Naya Ghat to Laxman Ghat; construction of a visitor gallery for Deepotsav and other fairs at Ram Ki Paidi; strengthening and renovation of pilgrim path from Ram Ki Paidi to Raj Ghat and Raj Ghat to Ram Temple.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of a greenfield township in Ayodhya being developed at a cost of more than Rs 2180 crore and Vashishtha Kunj Residential Scheme to be developed at a cost of about Rs 300 crore.

Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of a NH-28 (new NH-27) Lucknow-Ayodhya section; strengthening and modification of NH-28 (new NH-27) existing Ayodhya bypass; establishment of the CIPET center in Ayodhya, and construction work of Municipal Corporation Ayodhya and Ayodhya Development Authority office.

Other projects across Uttar Pradesh

During the public programme, the Prime Minister inaugurated and dedicated to the nation other significant projects across Uttar Pradesh. These include the four-lane widening of Gosain Ki Bazar Bypass-Varanasi (Ghaghra Bridge-Varanasi) (NH-233); strengthening and upgradation of Khutar to Lakhimpur section of NH-730; capacity increase of LPG plant in Trishundi of Amethi district; Sewage Treatment Plant of 30 MLD in Pankha and 130 MLD in Jajmau, Kanpur; interception and diversion of drains and sewage treatment work in Unnao district; and CETP for Tannery Cluster at Jajmau in Kanpur.

Railway Projects

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated the redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station and flagged off new Amrit Bharat trains and Vande Bharat trains. He also dedicated several other railway projects to the nation.

Phase I of redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station - known as Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station - is developed at a cost of more than Rs 240 crore. The three-storey modern railway station building is equipped with all modern features like lifts, escalators, food plazas, shops for puja needs, cloak rooms, child care rooms, waiting halls. The station building will be 'accessible for all' and 'IGBC certified green station building'.

The programme at Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station witnessed the Prime Minister flagging off a new category of superfast passenger trains in the country - the Amrit Bharat Express. The Amrit Bharat train is an LHB push pull train with non air-conditioned coaches. This train has locos at both ends for better acceleration. It provides improved facilities for rail passengers like beautiful and attractive designed seats, better luggage rack, mobile charging point with suitable mobile holder, LED lights, CCTV, public information system, among others. The Prime Minister also flagged off six new Vande Bharat Trains.

The Prime Minister flagged off two new Amrit Bharat trains viz Darbhanga-Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express and Malda Town-Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminus (Bengaluru) Amrit Bharat Express.

The Prime Minister interacted with school children travelling in the inaugural journey of the Amrit Trains.

The Prime Minister also flagged off six new Vande Bharat Trains. These include Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Coimbatore-Bangalore Cantt Vande Bharat Express; Mangalore-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express; Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express and Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Vande Bharat Express.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation three railway projects worth Rs 2300 crore to strengthen rail infrastructure in the region. The projects include the Rooma Chakeri-Chanderi third line project; Jaunpur-Tulsi Nagar, Akbarpur-Ayodhya, Sohawal-Patranga and Safdarganj-Rasauli sections of the Jaunpur-Ayodhya-Barabanki doubling project; and doubling and electrification project of the Malhaur-Daliganj railway section.

Maharishi Valmiki International Airport Ayodhya Dham

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated the newly built Ayodhya Airport. The airport has been named Maharishi Valmiki International Airport.

Phase 1 of the state-of-the-art airport is developed at a cost of more than Rs 1450 crore. The airport’s terminal building will have an area of 6500 sqm, equipped to serve about 10 lakh passengers annually. The facade of the Terminal Building depicts the temple architecture of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir of Ayodhya. The interiors of the terminal Building are decorated with local art, paintings & murals depicting the life of Bhagwan Shri Ram. The terminal building of Ayodhya airport is also equipped with various sustainability features like insulated roofing system, LED lighting, rain water harvesting, landscaping with fountains, water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, solar power plant and many other such features have been provided to meet GRIHA - 5 star ratings. The airport will improve connectivity in the region, leading to a boost in tourism, business activities and employment opportunities.

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List of Highest National Honours and Global Awards Conferred on PM Narendra Modi
December 18, 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred highest civilian honours by several nations. These recognitions are a reflection of PM Modi’s leadership and vision which has strengthened India’s emergence on the global stage. It also reflects India’s growing ties with countries around the world.

Let us have a look at awards bestowed on PM Modi in the last ten years.

Awards Conferred by Countries:

1. In April 2016, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour- the King Abdulaziz Sash. The Prime Minister was conferred the prestigious award by King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

2. The same year, PM Modi was bestowed upon the State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan – the highest civilian honor of Afghanistan.

3. In the year 2018, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a historic visit to Palestine, he was awarded the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award. This is the highest honour of Palestine awarded to foreign dignitaries.

4. In 2019, the Prime Minster was awarded the Order of Zayed Award. This is the highest civilian honour of the United Arab Emirates.

5. Russia conferred Prime Minister Modi with their highest civilian honour - the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle in 2019. The PM received the award during his visit to Moscow in July 2024..

6. Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin- the highest honour of the Maldives awarded to foreign dignitaries was presented to PM Modi in 2019.

7. PM Modi received the prestigious King Hamad Order of the Renaissance in 2019. The honour was conferred by Bahrain.

8. Legion of Merit by the US Government, the award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements was conferred on PM Modi in 2020.

9. Bhutan honoured PM Modi with the highest civilian decoration, Order of the Druk Gyalpo in December 2021. PM Modi received the award during his visit to Bhutan in March 2024

10. During his visit to Papua New Guinea in 2023, PM Modi was conferred with Ebakl Award by the President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. of the Republic of Palau

11. PM Narendra Modi has also been conferred the highest honour of Fiji, Companion of the Order of Fiji in recognition of his global leadership. The award was conferred by PM Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji.

12. Governor General of Papua New Guinea, Sir Bob Dadae conferred PM Modi with Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu. It is the highest honour of Papua New Guinea.

 13. In June 2023, President Abdel Fattah El-sisi conferred Prime Minister Modi with the highest state honour of Egypt, the 'Order of Nile.'

 14. On 13th July 2023, PM Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest award in France by President Emmanuel Macron.

 15. On 25th August 2023, PM Modi was conferred with 'The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour' by President Katerina Sakellaropoulou of Greece.

16. Dominica honoured PM Modi with the ‘Dominica Award of Honour.’ It was presented to PM Modi by President Sylvanie Burton of Dominica during the Prime Minister's visit to Guyana in November 2024.

17. Nigeria honoured PM Modi with 'The Grand Commander of The Order of the Niger' during his visit in November 2024. It was presented to him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria.

 

18. Guyana honoured PM Modi with the ‘The Order of Excellence’ during the Prime Minister's visit in November 2024. It was presented to him by President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

19. PM Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados announced her government’s decision to honour PM Modi with the Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados Award during the Prime Minister's visit to Guyana in November 2024. MoS Pabitra Margherita Ji received the award on behalf of PM from President Dame Sandra Mason of Barbados on 06th March 2025.

20. In December 2024, PM Modi was conferred the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Order by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah.

21. During PM Modi's visit to Mauritius in March 2025, President Dharambeer Gokhool conferred PM Modi with the Highest National Award of Mauritius, 'The Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean'.

22. During PM Modi's visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conferred PM Modi with the highest Sri Lankan honour, the 'Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana' award.

23) PM Modi was conferred the 'Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III' of Cyprus during his visit in June 2025. It was bestowed upon PM Modi by President Nikos Christodoulides.

24) PM Modi was conferred ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’ during his visit in July 2025. It was bestowed upon PM Modi by President John Dramani Mahama.

25) PM Modi was conferred ‘The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago’ during his visit in July 2025. It was bestowed upon PM Modi by President Christine Kangaloo.

26) PM Modi has been conferred with ‘The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross’ during his visit to Brazil in July 2025. It was bestowed upon PM Modi by President Lula.

27) PM Modi has been conferred with ‘The Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’ during his visit to Namibia in July 2025. It was presented to PM Modi by President Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

28) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred the ‘Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia.’ It is Ethiopia’s highest honour. It was presented to PM Modi during his visit in December 2025 by PM Abiy Ahmed Ali.

29) During his visit to Muscat in December 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the First Class of the Order of Oman by the Sultan of Oman.

Apart from the highest civilian honours, PM Modi has also been conferred with several awards by prestigious organisations across the globe.

1. Seoul Peace Prize: It is awarded biennially to those individuals by Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation who have made their mark through contributions to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation between nations and to world peace. Prime Minister Modi was conferred prestigious award in 2018.

2. United Nations Champions of The Earth Award: This is UN’s highest environmental honour. In 2018, the UN recognized PM Modi for his bold environmental leadership on the global stage.

3. First-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award was given to Prime Minister Modi in 2019. This award is offered annually to the leader of a nation. The citation of the award said that PM Modi was selected for his “outstanding leadership for the nation”.

4. In 2019, PM Modi was conferred the ‘Global Goalkeeper’ Award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. PM Modi dedicated the award to those Indians who transformed the Swachh Bharat campaign into a “people’s movement” and accorded topmost priority to cleanliness in their day-to-day lives.

5. In 2021, Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award by the Cambridge Energy Research Associates CERA was bestowed on PM Modi. The award recognizes the commitment of leadership towards the future of global energy and environment.