PM Modi Himachal Pradesh visit: PM inaugurates development projects worth over Rs 3,650 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the fully functional All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur. The AIIMS -- whose foundational stone was also laid by the prime minister in October 2017 -- has been established under the Central sector scheme Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.

The prime minister will also participate in the famous Kullu Dussehra celebrations during his visit to the hilly state today.

PM Narendra Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 3,650 crore.

He also addressed a public meeting in the poll-bound state, wherein he said the previous governments used to lay stones and forget about completing projects after polls but his government lays stones and also inaugurates projects.

Development in Himachal Pradesh, he said, has been possible as people have voted the BJP to power both at the Centre and in the state.

Addressing a public meeting at Luhnu ground after inaugurating AIIMS and Hydro Engineering College in Bilaspur, Modi said Himachal Pradesh plays crucial role in 'rashtra raksha' (saving nation) and now with AIIMS at Bilaspur, it will also play a pivotal role in 'jeevan raksha' (saving lives).

The prime minister's rally comes ahead of assembly elections in the state which are slated to be held within the next two months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also lay the foundation stone of around 31 km long project for four laning of the National Highway from Pinjore to Nalagarh on NH-105, worth over Rs 1690 crore.

The project road is a major connecting link for the traffic from Ambala, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Solan/Shimla going towards Bilaspur, Mandi and Manali.

This highway will ensure better transport facilities in Nalagarh-Baddi, the industrial hub of Himachal Pradesh and will also give a fillip to further industrial development in the region.

As per the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the highway will also boost tourism in the state.

In Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Medical Device Park at Nalagarh, which will be built at a cost of about Rs 350 crore.

A memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of more than Rs 800 crore has already been signed for setting up industries in this Medical Device Park. The project will significantly enhance employment opportunities in the region.

Later, PM Modi will inaugurate the Government Hydro Engineering College at Bandla.

International Kullu Dussehra Festival

The International Kullu Dussehra Festival will be celebrated from October 5 to 11 at the Dhalpur Ground of Kullu.

The festival is unique in the sense that it is the congregation of more than 300 Deities of the Valley. On the first day of the festival, the deities in their well-decorated palanquins pay their obeisance at the temple of the Chief Deity Bhagwan Raghunath Ji and then proceed to the Dhalpur ground.

Prime Minister Modi will witness this divine Rath Yatra and the grand assembly of the Deities in the historic Kullu Dussehra celebrations.

It will be the first time ever that the prime minister of the country is participating in the Kullu Dussehra celebrations. 

AIIMS Bilaspur - All you need to know 

According to the PMO, AIIMS Bilaspur, constructed at a cost of more than Rs 1470 crore, is a state-of-the-art hospital with 18 specialty and 17 super specialty departments, 18 modular operation theatres and 750 beds with 64 ICU beds.

Spread over 247 acres, the hospital is equipped with 24 hours emergency and dialysis facilities, modern diagnostic machines like ultrasonography, CT scan, MRI etc. It also has a 30-bedded AYUSH block.

The hospital has also set up a 'Centre for Digital Health' to provide health services in the tribal and inaccessible tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh. 

Specialist health services will also be provided by the hospital through health camps in the inaccessible tribal and high Himalayan regions like Kaza, Saluni, and Keylong. 

The hospital will admit 100 students for MBBS courses and 60 students for nursing courses every year.

"Prime Minister's vision and commitment to strengthening health services across the country is being showcased again through the inauguration of AIIMS Bilaspur. The hospital, whose foundational stone was also laid by the Prime Minister in October 2017, is being established under the Central sector scheme Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana," PMO said in a statement.

PM Modi's presence at Kullu Dussehra marks his constant celebration of Indian festivals

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to attend the famous Kullu Dussehra celebrations on Wednesday, officials said he has made it a point over the course of his tenure to participate in celebrating numerous Indian festivals.

Recently, he visited Gujarat and participated in the Navratri festival in Ahmedabad.

He had also gone to Union minister Piyush Goyal's residence, where an idol of Lord Ganesha was installed, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi in August.

Similarly, officials said, the prime minister celebrated Raksha Bandhan with the daughters of his office's staff.

On the occasion of Bihu in April, he had attended the celebrations at the residence of Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who hails from Assam.

In the same month, he attended the 400th Prakash Purab celebrations of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur at Red fort, they said.

On the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti in February, he visited a temple dedicated to social reformer and revered saint Ravidas, who has a huge following especially among the Dalits, in Karol Bagh here and had participated in the 'Shabad Kirtan'.

On December 25 last year on the occasion of Guru Purab, the prime minister addressed devotees at Gurudwara Lakhpat Sahib in Gujarat, they noted.

In November 2020, he participated in 'Dev Deepawali' festival in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

In April 2018, he joined the celebrations on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, they said.

On the occasion of the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Sikh guru Gobind Singh, Modi had attended the event in Patna Sahib in October 2017.

In February 2017, he visited Coimbatore and unveiled a 112-foot iconic statue of Adiyogi Lord Shiva while he celebrated Dussehra in Lucknow in October 2016, they noted.

(With inputs from agencies)

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