Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh four more times this month for official functions before the election model code of conduct comes into effect, probably in early January, News18 has learnt. The PM will be in Shahjahanpur on December 18 to lay the foundation stone of the 594-km long Ganga Expressway from Meerut to Prayagraj and he will be in Prayagraj on December 21 to speak to nearly two lakh women employees in a big function. The Prime Minister will be in his constituency Varanasi again on December 23 to hold a seminar with farmers on his vision for the agricultural sector and he will then be in Kanpur on December 28 to inaugurate the Kanpur Metro project and for the IIT Kanpur convocation.
The PM has already visited Uttar Pradesh six times in the past month— to Gorakhpur, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Jhansi, Greater Noida and Balrampur— for unveiling projects. He was also in Lucknow for the directors general of police (DGPs) conference.
On December 18, PM will be in Shahjahanpur to lay the foundation stone of Uttar Pradesh’s longest Ganga Expressway project, which is to be finished by 2025. The road will cross 12 districts from West to East UP and the state has acquired 94% of the 7,386 hectares of land required for the project. The project will cost Rs 36,230 crore and the bids have been finalised for it.
On December 21, the PM is set to address a huge gathering in Prayagraj of women employed with the Uttar Pradesh government. Over two lakh women employees from across the state will be present during the address. Sources said discussions are on about raising the salary of Accredited social health activist (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and Anganwadi workers who treaded inaccessible paths to ensure Covid vaccination and ANM services. Bank Sakhis too have been invited. The Prime Minister is likely to praise and thank these women employees for their services. The programme is expected to have the PM speak about benefit schemes launched for women’s empowerment and to speak on fighting malnutrition. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be present too.
On December 23, the PM will again be in Varanasi to address a conference on his vision for the agriculture sector and for farmers. This will be his second address to farmers in quick succession after one via videoconference on December 16. The Varanasi seminar is to promote natural and organic agriculture where agriculture scientists, progressive farmers and agriculture experts from across the country will participate. The BJP will organise similar programmes in all the mandals across the country on December 23 where farmers will be told about various “pro-farmer policies and programmes” being implemented by the Modi government. BJP office bearers at the mandal level will make notes of all the suggestions and issues faced by farmers and send them to higher authorities. The PM that day will also inaugurate many projects in Varanasi, including a safe city CCTV project, and lay the foundation stone of a dairy plant.
On December 28, the PM will travel to Kanpur to inaugurate the 9-km long first leg of the Kanpur Metro Project and attend the annual convocation of IIT Kanpur. CM Yogi Adityanath had launched the trial run of the Metro train last month and the section will start commercial operations soon after the PM inaugurates it on December 28. This will be the fourth Metro project in UP after NOIDA, Ghaziabad and Lucknow. However, the Samajwadi Party is set to lay claim on the Kanpur Metro project saying the foundation stone of this was laid under its tenure.
With inputs from News18
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