Acchhe din are not for middlemen and power brokers
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today asserted that the "Bure Din" (bad days) of the UPA Government are over. Addressing a public meeting in scorching heat at Deendayal Dham near Mathura, the Prime Minister said that the era of a fresh corruption scandal every day, and Government being run by remote control, has ended.
The Prime Minister thanked the people of India for putting an end to the bure din, through their decisive mandate one year ago. He asked the large gathering what would have happened if the UPA Government had continued for one more year. He said instead of that, people today no longer heard of incidents of corruption, nepotism and remote control. Giving the example of successful coal block auctions which netted Rs. 3 lakh crore, the Prime Minister said that he was working as "Pradhan Santri" and would not let anyone loot Government money through illicit means. He said there were hundreds of "power circles" and multiple power centres in Delhi, which had now been destroyed, thanks to the clear mandate given to the NDA Government.
The Prime Minister highlighted the various welfare measures and steps taken by the Government for the common man, the poor and the farmer. He spoke about how the 15 crore bank accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana would eliminate middlemen, and how benefits such as LPG subsidy were being transferred directly to bank accounts.
He explained initiatives such as soil health cards, and revival of fertilizer plants, to help farmers.
The Prime Minister also spoke of measures to ease the life of the common man, including self attestation of documents, and scrapping of about 1300 outdated laws.
He explained how steps such as the launch of the Mudra Bank, and the social security teams such as Atal Pension Yojana, would transform the lives of the poor.
The Prime Minister said the whole world was looking at India with fresh hope, and foreign investment had increased eight times over the last year.
The Prime Minister visited the home of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay and paid homage to him.
Cabinet approves infrastructure projects between National Highway-19 and Varanasi Ring Road in Uttar Pradesh worth Rs.14447.64 crore
July 15, 2026
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved the development of a Link/Connector Corridor between National Highway-19 (NH-19) and the Varanasi Ring Road with riverbank connectivity along the River Ganga for the decongestion of Varanasi City in Uttar Pradesh. The 46.039 km project, comprising a six-lane elevated main carriageway, an iconic cable-stayed bridge, an extradosed Foot Over Bridge-cum-Major Bridge, loops, ramps, link roads and service roads, will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs.14,447.64 crore including a civil construction cost of Rs.6,037.85 crore (including utility shifting, excluding GST) and a land acquisition cost of Rs.541.11 crore under NH(O).
The project will provide seamless connectivity between NH-19 and the Varanasi Ring Road, significantly decongesting the city’s road network and improving urban mobility. Designed for an operating speed of 80–100 km/h, it is expected to reduce the average travel time across the project influence area from approximately 60 minutes to 20 minutes, representing a reduction of nearly 67 per cent. Travel time between NH-19 and Kashi Railway Station will be reduced from approximately 50 minutes to about 25 minutes, resulting in a saving of about 25 minutes (nearly 50 per cent).
Aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the corridor will strengthen multimodal connectivity by providing seamless access to major highways, railway stations, Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport and Ramnagar IWAI Port, while significantly improving connectivity to key religious, educational and cultural landmarks, including the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Namo Ghat, Ramnagar Fort and the Ghats of Varanasi. By linking important economic, social and logistics nodes, the project will improve logistics efficiency, enhance road safety, facilitate tourism and pilgrimage, and support sustainable regional economic growth across eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The corridor has been conceived as a transformative urban mobility project to decongest the road network of Varanasi & Chandauli by providing a high-speed, access-controlled connection between NH-19, the Varanasi Ring Road (NH-135B), Ramnagar/ BHU and other major urban destinations. With more than 15 crore tourists and pilgrims visiting Varanasi every year, the project will significantly improve connectivity to major religious, educational and cultural landmarks, including the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Namo Ghat, Ramnagar Fort, the Ghats of Varanasi, and Kashi Railway Station, while substantially reducing congestion on the existing city road network. An elevated spur between BHU/Lanka and Samne Ghat will further ease traffic congestion at the heavily trafficked Lanka Junction by separating through traffic from local traffic movements.
The project will improve road safety through controlled-access movement, reduce vehicle operating costs and emissions, enhance travel reliability, and facilitate the efficient movement of passenger and freight traffic. It will also decongest NH-19, the BHU-Ramnagar Corridor and NH-35 by diverting through traffic away from the densely developed urban core.
The project incorporates several landmark engineering features, including an iconic 910 m cable-stayed bridge across the River Ganga, a 1.32 km extradosed Foot Over Bridge-cum-Major Bridge with travelators providing seamless pedestrian connectivity to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, a Rail Over Bridge over the existing/proposed Malviya Bridge, dedicated emergency parking bays, noise barriers, façade lighting and architectural elements inspired by the cultural heritage of Varanasi. These features will not only improve transportation efficiency but also enhance the city’s urban landscape, create an iconic addition to Varanasi’s skyline, and reinforce its position as one of India’s foremost religious and cultural destinations.
Planned in accordance with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the corridor will strengthen multimodal connectivity by linking one Economic Node (Chandauli SEZ), one Social Node (Chandauli Aspirational District) and six major Logistics Nodes, namely Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, Kashi Railway Station, Banaras Railway Station, Varanasi City Railway Station, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction and Ramnagar IWAI Port. By providing seamless connectivity between these transport hubs and key destinations such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Namo Ghat, Ramnagar Fort and the Ghats of Varanasi, the project will enhance multimodal integration, improve logistics efficiency, facilitate tourism and pilgrimage, and support sustainable regional economic development across eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Overall, the proposed Ganga Elevated Corridor will create a modern, high-capacity urban transport corridor that transforms mobility in Varanasi by providing faster, safer and more reliable connectivity, significantly reducing congestion, strengthening multimodal integration, enhancing tourism and pilgrimage infrastructure, and supporting sustainable economic growth in line with the vision of PM Gati Shakti and Viksit Bharat.
