Jaipur, Sep 24 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rajasthan’s Banswara on Thursday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development projects worth more than ₹1.22 lakh crore, including the ₹42,000 crore Mahi-Banswara nuclear power plant, officials said.
The projects span energy, water, infrastructure, health, and urban development. The proposed 2,800 MW nuclear facility is the highlight of the programme and is expected to play a pivotal role in making Rajasthan energy self-sufficient, they added.
Other major projects include a 590 MW renewable energy project in Bikaner costing ₹8,500 crore and high-capacity power transmission lines with a total capacity of 15.5 GW being laid across Jaisalmer, Barmer, Sirohi, Nagaur, and Bikaner at an investment of ₹13,183 crore. In addition, 15 new drinking water supply projects worth ₹5,884 crore will benefit 11 districts, including Banswara, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Sikar, and Ajmer.
The prime minister will also inaugurate completed projects such as solar energy plants with a combined capacity of 1,400 MW, the 925 MW Nokh Solar Park in Phalodi, and decentralised solar plants of 895 MW capacity under the PM-KUSUM-C scheme. Other projects include irrigation works at Isarda dam and the Dholpur lift scheme, seven road projects across multiple districts, and a water resources project worth ₹20,833 crore.
Additionally, Modi will flag off three train services — Vande Bharat Express trains from Bikaner to Delhi Cantt and Jodhpur to Delhi Cantt, and the Udaipur–Chandigarh Express. Around 15,000 youths will also be given appointment letters as part of the government’s employment drive.
Officials said Rajasthan alone would receive projects worth ₹1,08,468 crore. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has instructed officials to ensure full preparations for the prime minister’s visit, while BJP state president Madan Rathore described the nuclear project as a “landmark initiative” that would boost energy security, tourism, jobs, and economic growth.
Taking aim at the opposition, Rathore accused the previous Congress-led government of misgovernance and neglecting people’s needs. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, meanwhile, had urged Modi to address the slow progress in the 2022 Kanhaiya Lal murder case and demanded national monument status for Mangarh Dham during his Banswara visit.
