Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (August 30) laid the foundation stone of 'Vadhvan Port' in Maharashtra’s Palghar. The total cost of this project is around Rs. 76,000 crores. PM Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 218 fisheries projects worth around Rs 1,560 crores.
The Vadhvan Port of which PM Modi laid the foundation stone on Friday, is set to boost India's trade in many aspects because of its strategic location and capacity. Situated in Palghar, Maharashtra, Vadhvan Port will be India's largest deep-water port with an investment of Rs 76,220 crore.
The port will improve India's connectivity with Central Asia and Russia and will give boost trade through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The port is anticipated to lower some pressure from Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which is currently the largest container-handling port in India.
The port will become a game changer for Maharashtra's economy, as per the government estimates it will contribute over one per cent to Maharashtra's GDP and will help in the growth and prosperity of the region.
The port will also be connected with the Dedicated Freight Corridors with the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and will ensure faster, more efficient connectivity of cargo. The Vadhvan Mega Port will be completed in two transformative phases which will have state-of-the-art facilities with unmatched capabilities. By the end of its second phase, the Vadhvan Megaport will handle a 23.2 million TEUs.
PM Modi addresses gathering
PM Modi spoke on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue collapse incident in Malvan and apologised to the people for the incident.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for us... today I bow my head and apologise to my god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Our values are different, we are not those people who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar. They are not ready to apologize, they are ready to go to the courts and fight. ..." he said.
The 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell earlier this week in Malvan. He had inaugurated the statue in December last year. The incident had drawn flak of the Opposition which criticised the government over “poor quality” of construction.
(With ANI inputs)
ALSO READ | PM Modi apologises in Maharashtra after collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue, says 'He is our God'
