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PM lays foundation stone and dedicates various developmental projects in Kodekal, Karnataka

Published By : Admin | January 19, 2023 | 12:10 IST
Lays foundation stone of Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme under Jal Jeevan Mission
Inaugurates Narayanpur Left Bank Canal – Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project
Lays foundation stone of the 65.5 km section of 6 lane access controlled greenfield highway from Badadal to Maradagi S Andola of NH-150C
“We have to create Viksit Bharat during this Amrit Kaal.”
“Even if one district in the country lags behind on the parameters of development, the country cannot become developed”
“Be it education, health or connectivity, Yadgir has been among the top 10 performers of the aspirational districts programme”
“Double engine government is working with an approach of felicitation and consolidation”
“About 1.25 lakh farmer families of Yadgir have received about Rs 250 crore from PM Kisan Nidhi”
“Small farmers are the biggest priority of the agricultural policy of the country”
“The focus of the double-engine government on infrastructure and reforms is turning Karnataka into an investors' choice”

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone and dedicated various developmental projects related to irrigation, drinking water and a National Highway development project in Kodekal, Yadgir, Karnataka today. The projects include laying the foundation stone of the Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission and 65.5 km section ( from Badadal to Maradagi S Andola) of Surat - Chennai Expressway NH-150C, and inauguration of the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal – Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC – ERM).

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister highlighted the love and support of the people of Karnataka and said that it has become a source of great strength. Throwing light on the rich history of Yadgir, the Prime Minister pointed out the ancient fort of Rattihalli which is a symbol of the capabilities of our ancestors and reflects our culture and traditions. He also mentioned the heritage of the great king Maharaja Venkatappa Nayak whose idea of swaraj and good governance was noted all over the country. “We all take pride in this heritage”, the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the projects related to roads and water dedicated or for which the foundation stone was laid today, the Prime Minister said these projects will provide massive benefits to the people of the region. Surat Chennai Corridor’s Karnataka portion also saw the start of work today which will enhance ease of living and help employment and economic activity in region including Yadgir, Raichur and Kalburgi. The Prime Minister praised the state government for development work in North Karnataka.

The Prime Minister reminded that the coming 25 years are ‘Amrit Kaal’ for the country and for every state. “We have to create Viksit Bharat during this Amrit Kaal. This can happen only when every person, family and state gets associated with this campaign. India can be developed when the life of the farmer in the field and the entrepreneur is improved. India can be developed when there is good crop, and factory output also expands. This will need learning from the negative experiences and bad policies of the past”, he said. Giving the example of Yadgir in North Karnataka, the Prime Minister lamented the backwardness that prevailed in the region in the path of development. Even though the region had the capability, the Prime Minister observed that the past governments had absolved themselves just by declaring Yadgir and other such districts as backward. He recalled the time when the ruling governments of the past indulged in vote-bank politics and did not pay heed to basic infrastructure like electricity, roadways and water. Highlighting the priorities of the present government, the Prime Minister remarked that its focus is solely on development and not vote-bank politics. “Even if one district in the country lags behind on the parameters of development, the country cannot become developed”, the Prime Minister said. He noted that it was the present government that addressed the most backward regions on priority and initiated the hundred aspirational villages campaign including Yadgir. The Prime Minister noted the emphasis on good governance and development in these regions and informed that Yadgir has vaccinated 100 percent of children, the number of malnourished children has gone down significantly, all villages of the district are connected via roads and availability of common service centres in gram panchayat to provide digital services. “Be it education, health or connectivity, Yadgir has been among the top 10 performers of the aspirational districts programme”, the Prime Minister remarked. The Prime Minister congratulated the public representatives and district administration for their remarkable achievements.

The Prime Minister underlined the importance of water security for the development of 21st-century India which, said the Prime Minister, stands at par with border, coastal and internal security. “Double engine government is working with an approach of felicitation and consolidation”, he said and informed that out of the 99 irrigation schemes that were lying pending in 2014, 50 have already been completed and schemes have been expanded. In Karnataka also many such projects are underway. Narayanpur Left Bank Canal – Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC – ERM) with a canal carrying capacity of 10,000 cusecs can irrigate 4.5 lac hectares of command area, he informed. Shri Modi also talked about the unprecedented focus on micro-irrigation and ‘per drop more crop’ as more than 70 lakh hectares of land have been brought into the ambit of micro-irrigation in the last 7-8 years. Today’s project will benefit 5 lakh hectares of land in Karnataka and work is going on to raise the water table, he informed.

Giving examples of the work accomplished in the double engine government, the Prime Minister noted that when the Jal Jeevan mission began three and a half years ago, only three crore rural families had piped water connection out of eighteen crore rural families. “Today that number has gone up to eleven crore rural families”, the Prime Minister continued, “Out of these, thirty-five lakh families are from Karnataka.” He noted that the coverage of water per household in Yadgir and Raichur is higher than the overall average of Karnataka and the country.

Throwing light on the projects inaugurated today, the Prime Minister underlined that the target of providing tap water to every house in Yadgir will get a boost. He informed that a study conducted revealed that lives of more than 1.25 lakh children will be saved every year due to the impact of India's Jal Jeevan Mission. Noting the benefits of the Har Ghar Jal campaign, the Prime Minister highlighted that the central government gives Rs 6,000 to the farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme and the Government of Karnataka adds Rs 4,000 more which doubles the benefits for the farmers. “About 1.25 lakh farmer families of Yadgir have received about Rs 250 crore from PM Kisan Nidhi”, the Prime Minister added.

Further elaborating on the rhythm of the double engine government, the Prime Minister said as the Center launches the New Education Policy, Karnataka Government is helping poor students through Vidya Nidhi schemes, as the centre keeps the wheel of progress moving Karnataka is making the state attractive for the investors. “Karnataka government augments the Center’s help to weavers under Mudra Scheme by giving them further help”, he added.

The Prime Minister underlined that if any person, class, or region is deprived even after so many years of independence, then the present government is giving maximum priority to them. He observed that crores of small farmers in our country were also deprived of every comfort for decades and no effort was taken in government policies as well. The Prime Minister interjected that today this small farmer is the biggest priority of the agricultural policy of the country. The Prime Minister gave examples of helping the farmers with machinery, taking them towards modern technology like drones, providing chemical fertilizers like Nano Urea, encouragement for natural farming, small farmers being given Kisan Credit Cards, and supporting animal husbandry, fisheries and beekeeping.

The Prime Minister lauded the local farmers for making the region a pulse bowl and helping the country in reducing foreign dependence in this area. He informed that 80 times more pulses have been procured under MSP in the last 8 years. Pulse farmers have got 60 thousand crore rupees in the last 8 years compared to a few hundred crore rupees before 2014.

Informing that the year 2023 has been declared the International Year of Millets by the United Nations, the Prime Minister noted that coarse cereals like jowar and ragi are produced in abundance in Karnataka. He underlined that the double-engine government is committed to increasing the production of this nutritious coarse grain and promoting it worldwide. The Prime Minister expressed the belief that farmers of Karnataka will play a leading role in taking this initiative forward.

Noting the benefits of the double-engine government when it comes to connectivity in Karnataka, the Prime Minister noted that it is equally important for agriculture, industry and tourism and highlighted the benefits to large parts of North Karnataka with the completion of the Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor. The Prime Minister informed that it will also be easy for the countrymen to reach the tourist places and pilgrimages of North Karnataka thereby creating thousands of new employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth. “The focus of the double engine government on infrastructure and reforms is turning Karnataka into an investors' choice”, the Prime Minister remarked as he said that such investments are going to increase further in the future due to the enthusiasm all over the world to invest in India.

Governor of Karnataka, Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basvaraj Bommai, Union Minister of State, Shri Bhagwant Khuba, and Ministers from the Karnataka Government among others were present on occasion.

Background

In an effort that will be another step to realise the Prime Minister’s vision of providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households, the foundation stone of the Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission was laid at Kodekal, Yadgir district. A Water Treatment Plant of 117 MLD will be built under the scheme. The project, which costs more than Rs 2050 crore, will provide potable water to about 2.3 lakh households of more than 700 rural habitations and three towns in the Yadgir district.

During the programme, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal – Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC – ERM). The project with a canal carrying capacity of 10,000 cusecs can irrigate 4.5 lac hectares of command area. It will benefit more than three lakh farmers in 560 villages of Kalaburgi, Yadagir and Vijaypur districts. The total cost of the project is about Rs 4700 crores.

He also laid the foundation stone of the 65.5 km section of NH-150C. This 6-lane Greenfield road project is part of the Surat - Chennai Expressway. It is being built at the cost of about Rs 2000 crore.

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India-Italy Joint Declaration
May 20, 2026

At the invitation of the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, paid an official visit to Italy on 19-20 May 2026. The visit, following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Italy in June 2024 for the G7 Summit and Prime Minister Meloni’s visit to India for the G20 Summit in 2023, provided renewed momentum to the bilateral ties. The two leaders decided to elevate India-Italy relations to the level of a Special Strategic Partnership.

Political Dialogue

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the strong momentum of high-level exchanges and agreed to hold annual meetings of leaders including on the sidelines of multilateral events, as well as regular Ministerial and institutional-level meetings.

They appreciated the concrete progress achieved across the diverse pillars of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 adopted by the two leaders in their meeting during the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024. They agreed to establish Foreign Ministers-led mechanism to review the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 and provide strategic guidance to India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership.

Economic Cooperation and Investments

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing dynamism of bilateral economic and industrial cooperation, with three high level business fora held since the last year. Building on the opportunities arising from India’s rapid and consistent economic growth and the successful conclusion of the negotiations for the EU–India Free Trade Agreement, they reaffirmed the shared objective of expanding bilateral trade in both direction with aim to reach to € 20 billion by 2029.

They welcomed the increase of bilateral investments in key sectors and encouraged the respective industries to forge industrial and technology partnerships in order to build resilient supply chains. They welcomed the prospect of greater investments, particularly in textiles, clean technologies, semiconductors, automotive, energy, tourism, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, digital technologies, critical raw materials, steel, ports and infrastructure. They encouraged industries to utilize the policy incentives and schemes in place in both countries which seek to enhance business linkages and production facilities.

Both Prime Ministers agreed to encourage dialogue and cooperation among stock exchanges, investment funds, venture capital, banks, insurance companies and financial institutions.

They agreed to facilitate industrial partnerships, including between SMEs, to foster deeper integration of supply chains. They encouraged new sectoral missions in the coming months in priority areas of mutual interest.

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in Critical Minerals. They agreed to further strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in field of critical minerals by establishing a structured framework for collaboration, with particular emphasis on sustainability and resilient supply chains. They underscored the importance of promoting joint efforts in recovery of critical minerals from unconventional sources, including electronic waste and mine tailings, as an integral component of circular economy initiatives. They also expressed satisfaction on signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of agriculture and agricultural research between respective ministries and institutions.

Connectivity

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), recognising its transformational potential in reshaping and promoting global trade, connectivity and prosperity. Appreciating the preliminary discussions around the project, they encouraged the first IMEC Ministerial meeting to take concrete steps for advancing this initiative in 2026.

They welcomed the signing of an MoU on maritime transport and ports and directed their respective ministries/departments to establish a joint working group to implement the MoU at the earliest.

Science, Technology, Innovation, Start-ups and Artificial Intelligence

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed that innovation, science and technology are core drivers of the India-Italy partnership.

They announced the creation of INNOVIT India, an innovation hub located in India aimed at strengthening cooperation between the respective innovation ecosystems, support startup acceleration programs, market access and business matching, joint research, university collaboration, and talent mobility in sectors including fintech, healthcare, semiconductors, logistics and supply chains, agritech, energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. Both leaders welcomed the inaugural Science and Innovation Dialogue between Indian and Italian universities and research centres held in Delhi in April 2025 and look forward to holding its next edition in Italy later this year.

Both leaders underlined the importance of an open, free, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful ICT environment, which is an enabler for innovation and economic growth. PM Modi thanked PM Meloni for Italy’s constructive participation in the AI Impact Summit that took place on 19th February 2026 in New Delhi. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a human-centric, secure, trustworthy and robust Artificial Intelligence. They agreed to collaborate in this domain including in third countries.

The two Prime Ministers placed particular emphasis on opportunities for cooperation in the field of supercomputing.

Building on the 2025–2027 Executive Program for Scientific Cooperation, they supported the implementation of joint projects and the facilitation of mobility of researchers in area of quantum technologies, renewable energy, green hydrogen and sustainable blue economy. They also welcomed the ongoing implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of scientific research and the launching of a joint call for proposals to fund research projects.

The two Prime Ministers acknowledged the longstanding scientific collaboration between the Indian Academia and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste and welcomed the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Indian Department of Science and Technology and the Elettra Sincrotrone center in Trieste, Italy in support of activities related to the access of synchrotron radiation facility at Elettra for Indian researchers.

Space

While appreciating the ongoing collaboration between Italian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation, the two leaders agreed to strengthen the partnership on Earth observation, heliophysics and space exploration, with focused thematic engagement and to explore cooperation on access to space and protection of space infrastructures. They expressed satisfaction with the recent reciprocal visits of their respective space industry delegations and looked forward to further promote commercial collaboration through exchanges of experts and joint initiatives also in third countries.

Defence

Both Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the deepening of defence cooperation including through Ministerial exchanges, service-to-service ties, port visits, and welcomed the adoption of a Joint Declaration of Intent and a Defence Industrial Roadmap which will promote partnerships for technological cooperation, co-production and co-development projects, including helicopters, naval platforms, marine armament and electronic warfare. They also recognized the importance of protecting critical infrastructures and their related supply chains through the strengthening of industrial resilience.

The two sides agreed to examine the feasibility of establishing an annual high level military structured dialogue, complementing the work of the Joint Defence Committee and the Military Cooperation Group, and to promote joint exercises and inter-force courses.

Both leaders agreed to launch a Dialogue on Maritime Security, with the aim of increasing maritime security cooperation, coordination, and the exchange of information and best practices in the maritime domain.

Security

The two leaders strongly condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross border terrorism. The two leaders strongly condemned the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and reiterated their commitment to cooperate in the fight against terrorists and terrorist groups and their affiliates including those listed in the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions regime. They called upon all countries to continue to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and combating the financing of terrorism, consistent with the Financial Action Task Force’s guidelines. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to work together at the UN, FATF and other multilateral platforms.

Both leaders welcomed the first meeting of the Permanent Task Force between India and Italy on countering the financing of terrorism and the upcoming meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism.

Both leaders welcomed the conclusion of an MoU between the Italian Guardia di Finanza and the Directorate of Enforcement of India and looked forward to early conclusion of the Agreement on Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information and the Agreement on strengthening of Police Cooperation. They also welcomed the ongoing discussions on other agreements including Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

Migration and Mobility

The two leaders agreed to enhance mobility of students, researchers and skilled workers, particularly in STEM sectors, and to expand cooperation on skills development, in line with the needs of the labour market, including through a specific Joint Declaration of Intent on the facilitation of mobility of nurses from India to Italy. In this context, they welcomed the ongoing discussions between relevant agencies on Social Security Agreement (SSA).

They welcomed the launch of "ICI - Italy Calls India: a University-Enterprise talent bridge” aimed at enhancing the talent of Indian students enrolled in Italian universities by offering concrete pathways for guidance, matching, and qualified integration into Italian enterprises.

They also discussed the possibility of strengthening the cooperation to fight against irregular migration, labour exploitation and human trafficking to ensure safe and legal migration.

Culture and Educational Exchanges

The two leaders highlighted culture as a key pillar of bilateral dialogue and welcomed the signing of an MoU regarding Italy’s participation in the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal. They acknowledged the Indian National Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale in 2026. They expressed their intention to celebrate 2027 as the "Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and India”, which will feature a broad calendar of initiatives, and pave the way to a major exhibition on ancient cultural relations between Italy and India to be co-organized by the two Ministries of Culture.

The two leaders encouraged the organization of an Italy–India Cultural Forum, bringing together institutions, experts, and representatives of the creative industries. The two leaders appreciated the launching of the twinning program between Indian and Italian sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the protection, enhancement and management of cultural heritage.

The two leaders agreed to further develop the film and audio-visual cooperation between the two Nations, building on the strength and innovative capacities of their industries and on the legal framework provided by the bilateral co-production agreement.

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their intention to strengthening cooperation in higher education and welcomed the adoption of the Indo-Italian Roadmap on Higher Education and Research. Prime Minister Modi invited Italian universities and institutions of excellence to open campuses in India under India’s New Education Policy.

India-EU Relations

The Leaders welcomed the new Joint India–EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda agreed at the India–EU Summit on 27 January 2026 and the conclusion of negotiations of the India–EU Free Trade Agreement which would elevate ties to a new level by enhancing market access, reducing trade barriers, and strengthening economic security and resilience through diversified value chains and new market opportunities.

They also reaffirmed their support for strengthening the India–EU Trade and Technology Council as a key platform for cooperation in trade, critical technologies, and economic security. The leaders welcomed the India–EU Security and Defence Partnership and appreciated progress in mobility cooperation, including the MoU on a Comprehensive Framework for Mobility.

Multilateral Cooperation

Both Leaders stressed the urgent need to reform the United Nations to make it more representative and suited to present-day realities.

Both Leaders emphasized the importance of working together in the United Nations and other global platforms including G20 to protect multilateralism and uphold a rules-based international order.

Recognizing the strategic priority both countries attach to Africa, the two Prime Ministers agreed to work together in trilateral initiatives with African partners in areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), agriculture, education, healthcare, artificial intelligence, connectivity and infrastructure and renewable energy in line with India’s development partnership in Africa and Italy’s Mattei Plan.

The Leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, in line with international law, including UNCLOS. They look forward to their continued partnership in Science and Technology and Academic cooperation pillar of Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiatives.

Both leaders expressed deep concern over the situation in the West Asia/the Middle East and its effects in the region as well as the rest of the world. The leaders welcomed the ceasefire announced on 8 April 2026 and underlined the importance of de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy for a lasting peace in the West Asia/the Middle East. They also called for freedom of navigation and the resumption of global flows through Strait of Hormuz.

Both leaders expressed concern over the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to cause immense human suffering and negative global consequences. They agreed to continue to support efforts towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the international law and the principles of the UN Charter.

Conclusion

Noting the impressive growth and deepening of India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further expand cooperation across all sectors and continue close high-level consultations on key global and regional developments.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Meloni for the warm hospitality extended by the Government and the people of the Italian Republic and invited Prime Minister Meloni to visit India at a mutually convenient time.