Madhya Pradesh is among five states which will go to the polls later this year
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of 'Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan' here and unveiled projects of over Rs 12,000 crore in sectors such as road, rail, energy, housing and drinking water. He greeted people gathered at the event and also took a tour of the exhibition.
The 500th birth centenary of Rani Durgavati is being celebrated with great fervour by the Centre. The announcement regarding the celebration was made by the Prime Minister, during his visit to Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh in July this year.
To be built at a cost of about Rs 100 crore in Jabalpur, the 'Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan' will be spread over an area of about 21 acres.
It will showcase an impressive 52-foot-high bronze statue of Rani Durgavati. It will have a magnificent museum highlighting the history of the Gondwana region including the valour and courage of the queen.
It will also highlight the cuisine, art, culture, and way of living of the Gond people and other tribal communities. The premises of 'Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan' will also have multiple parks and gardens including a garden for medicinal plants, a cactus garden and a rock garden.
Rani Durgavati was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century. She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals.
The Prime Minister virtually inaugurated the Light House Project at Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
Built at a cost of about Rs 128 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban, the project will benefit more than 1000 beneficiary families. It employs innovative technology 'Prefabricated Sandwich Panel System with Pre-engineered Steel Structural System' to build quality homes with all basic facilities but in considerably reduced construction time.
He laid the foundation stone of multiple Jal Jeevan Mission projects in Mandla, Jabalpur and Dindori districts worth over Rs 2350 crore.
He dedicated the Jal Jeevan Mission project in Seoni district worth over Rs 100 crore to the nation. These projects in four districts of the state will benefit about 1,575 villages in Madhya Pradesh.
Prime Minister laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple projects of more than Rs 4800 crore for improving the road infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh.
He laid the foundation stone of projects including the upgrading of the road connecting Jharkheda- Berasia - Dholkhedi of NH 346; four laning of Balaghat - Gondia Section of NH 543; four Laning of Khandwa Bypass connecting Rudhi and Deshgaon; four Laning of Temagaon to Chicholi section of NH 47; four laning of road connecting Boregaon to Shahpur; and four laning of road connecting Shahpur to Muktainagar.
The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the upgradation of the road connecting Khalghat to Sarwardewla of NH 347C.
Prime Minister dedicated rail projects worth more than Rs 1850 crore to the nation. These projects include doubling the rail line connecting Katni - Vijaysota (102 km) and Marwasgram - Singrauli (78.50 km).
Both these projects are part of the project for doubling the rail line connecting the Katni - Singrauli Section. These projects will improve rail infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh benefiting the trade and tourism in the state.
Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation Vijaipur- Auraiya- Phulpur Pipeline Project. The 352 km long pipeline has been built at a cost of more than Rs 1750 crore.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Nagpur Jabalpur section (317 km) of the Mumbai Nagpur Jharsuguda Pipeline Project. The project will be built at a cost of more than Rs 1100 crore.
The gas pipeline projects will provide clean and affordable natural gas to industries and homes and will be a step towards reducing emissions in the environment. Prime Minister also dedicated a new bottling plant at Jabalpur which has been built at a cost of about Rs 147 crore.
Madhya Pradesh is among five states which will go to the polls later this year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)