PM to take part in Panchayati Raj Day celebration, unveil several projects in J-K on Sunday

New Delhi, April 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir on April 24 to take part in the celebration of National Panchayati Raj Day.

In an official statement, the government said he would address all gram sabhas across the country from Palli panchayat in Samba district of the Union Territory.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth around Rs 20,000 crore, it said, adding that an Amrit Sarovar initiative would also be launched.

“Since the introduction of constitutional reforms with regards to J&K in August 2019, the government has been focused on bringing about wide- ranging reforms to substantially improve governance and enhance ease of living for the people of the region at an unprecedented pace,” the statement read.

The projects being inaugurated and whose foundation stone is being laid in this visit will go a long way in facilitating provision of basic amenities, ensuring ease of mobility and development of infrastructure in the region, it added.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel, built at a cost of over Rs 3,100 crore. The 8.45-km-long tunnel would reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km, and reduce the journey time by around one and a half hours.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of three road packages of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, being built at a cost of over Rs 7,500 crore.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Ratle and Kwar hydroelectric projects.

In order to further expand the network of Jan Aushadi Kendras in J&K and to make good-quality generic medicines at affordable prices available, 100 kendras have been made functional and will be dedicated to the nation by the PM.