Jodhpur: Jodhpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone for a slew of projects worth Rs 5,000 crore in Jodhpur and said these were gifts for the people of Marwar. He said that the Centre has already decided to provide gas cylinders at Rs 600 for the Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries.
Modi said that the BJP is determined to make Rajasthan the engine of development in the country and the number 1 state in terms of tourism. He said that over 3,700 km of rail tracks have been electrified in the last nine years while flagging off the Special-Marwar and Runicha Express-Jaisalmer trains. He said that post Independence till 2014, only 600 km of tracks were electrified. When electric engine trains ply on the tracks in place of diesel trains, pollution will be reduced, he added.
The doubling of 145-km Deganga-Rai Ka Bagh rail line and 58-km Degana-Kuchaman City rail line were launched to improve rail connectivity. Modi said that the Bikaner-Barmer-Jamnagar expressway corridor and Delhi-Mumbai expressway are a few instances of the advanced technological advancements that have been undertaken for the state.
Asserting the Centre's commitment to ensure health facilities, Modi said that heathcare is the government's priority. He said that critical care units under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is being set up across the state. "Free treatment to poor families is being given to families under the Ayushman Bharat scheme while beds in hospitals are being increased. On the occasion, he laid foundation stone for a 350-bedded trauma centre and critical care unit at AIIMS, Jodhpur.
The prime minister also laid foundation stone for a new terminal building at Jodhpur airport and the campus of IIT, Jodhpur, was dedicated to the nation. A host of projects for the Central University of Rajasthan and development projects including Jodhpur Ring Road were inaugurated today.
After addressing the meeting at Jodhpur, Modi will leave for Madhya Pradesh where he will also lay foundation stones for a slew of projects in Mandla, Jabalpur and Dindori districts.
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Meanwhile, later in the day, chief minister Ashok Gehlot will inaugurate the sports complex built in Jodhpur's Ashok Udyan and lay the foundation stone for a project worth Rs 90 crore in the medical education department. He will also inaugurate the Psychological Counseling Centre in Jodhpur at Dr SN Medical College auditorium.
