PM Narendra Modi's big developmental push in Kashi: Key takeaways from 2-day Varanasi visit

Kashi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on December 17 and 18. The PM inaugurated 37 developmental projects in the region to the tune of almost Rs 20,000 crore.

The PM also inaugurated the new Vande Bharat Express train in Kashi. There will be many more trains to be launched in the sector.

Here are the key points from PM Narendra Modi’s Kashi visit.

Modi in Kashi: Key takeaways

- On the first day of his visit to Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a spiritual centre, the Swarved Mahamandir. The large seven-floor temple covers an area of 3,00,000 square feet. It has a lotus dome with 125 petals. The temple complex in Varanasi's Umaraha area facilitates 20,000 people at a time for meditation, making it one of the largest such centres in the world.

- The PM also attended the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi, his second visit to the Sangamam after 2021. The Sangamam will go on until December 30.

- Modi flagged off a new train between Benaras and Kanyakumari, the Kashi Tamil Sangamam Weekly Express, which will be an important link between two of the most important religious sites of the country.

- Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects in Varanasi worth around Rs 20,000 crore. Of these, 23 will be projects that have been completed at a cost of Rs 12,579 crore. The foundation will be laid for 14 new projects worth Rs 6,576 crore.

- The PM also flagged off the second Vande Bharat Express from Varanasi to New Delhi. The first Vande Bharat Express between New Delhi and Varanasi was launched four years ago. 

वाराणसी का स्वर्वेद महामंदिर संपूर्ण मानवता के कल्याण के लिए एक अनमोल धरोहर है, जिससे भारत की सांस्कृतिक विरासत और समृद्ध होगी। pic.twitter.com/LuRnx5wYdt

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2023

- Several other railway projects will be launched in Kashi, including the Dohrighat-Mau MEMU train and a pair of Long Haul goods trains in the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).

- On this occasion, the 10,000th train manufactured by the Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) will be flagged off.

- The Ballia-Ghazipur City rail line doubling project and the Indara-Dohrighat rail line gauge conversion project are also to be set off, among other rail projects.

– PM Modi was set to attend live sports events of the Kashi Sansad Khel Pratiyogita 2023.

- The PM also launched a new Unified Tourist Pass System. The new pass will provide a single platform for ticket booking via QR codes for tourist locations such as the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the Ganga Cruise, and the Sarnath Light and Sound Show.

- Moreover, a new website for detailed tourist information was launched under the Smart City Mission.

- On December 17, Modi also took part in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra.

- He visited a school and met young students in Varanasi.

Crowds lined up on the streets to cheer Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha constituency during his two-day visit, which had a successful culmination.