Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dedicated several rail sector projects worth around Rs 6,350 crore and laid the foundation stone of 'critical care blocks' in nine districts in Chhattisgarh during his day-long visit to the Congress-ruled state, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
PM Modi also addressed a public rally in Raipur and distributed one Lakh sickle cell counselling cards.
The Prime Minister’s emphasis on improving connectivity across the country will get a boost with the dedication to the nation of important rail sector projects worth around Rs 6,350 crore.
The Prime Minister during his rally in Raigarh mentioned about G20 and said, "A few days ago, many leaders who visited India for the G20 summit, were left impressed by development in India. Every state and region in the state is getting equal importance in development... Chhattisgarh is like the power-house for development in the country. In the last 9 years, we worked for the multidimensional development of Chhattisgarh. Today, a new chapter is being written in the development of railways in the state...."
"There is a festive atmosphere in the entire country these days... 'Bharat ka Chandrayaan wahan pahucha hai jahan koi desh nahi pahuch paya tha'... G20 was also conducted successfully here. This is the result of the hard work of 140 crore Indians..." he said.
Hitting out at the Congress-led State government, PM Modi said, "The BJP government of Delhi is leaving no stone unturned for the development of Chhattisgarh. But the Congress government here is not engaged in development work but only in empty talk and claims."
"There was a time when Chhattisgarh was known only for Naxalite attacks and violence. After the efforts of the BJP government, today Chhattisgarh is being recognised because of the development work done," the Prime Minister said.
Lauding work done by the Modi government, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo said, "In Chhattisgarh, we have seen that 1 out of 10 people have sickle cell and the kind of work that is being done by Centre for these people... In my experience, I have never seen any biasness (from Central govt). If we (state govt) have worked in the state and have asked for anything, they (Centre) have never refused to provide it."
Rail projects
The projects include Chhattisgarh East Rail Project Phase-I, 3rd rail line between Champa to Jamga, 3rd rail line between Pendra Road to Anuppur and MGR (Merry-Go-Round) system connecting the Talaipalli Coal Mine to NTPC Lara Super Thermal Power Station (STPS). The rail projects will provide impetus to socioeconomic development by facilitating the movement of passengers as well as freight traffic in the region.
Chhattisgarh East Rail Project Phase-I is being developed under the ambitious PM GatiShakti - National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity and consists of a 124.8 km rail line from Kharsia to Dharamjaygarh including a spur line to Gare-Pelma and 3 feeder lines connecting Chhal, Baroud, Durgapur and other coal mines. The rail line, built at a cost of around Rs. 3,055 crore, is equipped with electrified broad gauge level crossings and a free part double line with passenger amenities. It will provide rail connectivity for coal transportation from Mand-Raigarh coalfields located in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh.
The third rail line between Pendra Road to Anuppur is 50 km long and is built at a cost of about Rs 516 crore. The 98-kilometre-long third line between Champa and Jamga rail section is built at a cost of about 796 crores. The new rail lines will improve connectivity in the region and lead to an increase in both tourism and employment opportunities.
The 65-km-long electrified MGR (Merry-Go-Round) System will deliver low-cost, high-grade coal from NTPC’s Talaipalli coal mine to 1600 MW NTPC Lara Super Thermal Power Station in Chhattisgarh. This will boost the generation of low-cost and reliable power from NTPC Lara, thus strengthening the energy security of the country. The MGR system, built at a cost of more than Rs 2070 crore, is a technological marvel for improving coal transportation from coal mines to power stations.
PM Modi to lay foundation stone of 50 bedded critical care blocks
During the programme, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of 50 bedded ‘critical care blocks’ in nine districts of Chattisgarh. The nine Critical Care Blocks will be built under Pradhan Mantri – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) at Durg, Kondagaon, Rajnandgaon, Gariaband, Jashpur, Surajpur, Surguja, Bastar and Raigarh districts, at a total cost of more than Rs 210 crore.
With an aim to address the health issues caused by sickle cell disease, especially among the tribal population, Prime Minister will also distribute one lakh sickle cell counselling cards to the screened population. The distribution of sickle cell counselling cards is being done under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSAEM), which was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2023 at Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol.
