PM Modi to launch projects worth over Rs 18,000 crore in Bihar, West Bengal on Aug 22
New Delhi, Aug 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar and West Bengal on August 22 to launch and lay foundation stones for development projects worth more than `18,000 crore. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi will first reach Gaya in Bihar around 11 am, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects worth about `13,000 crore. He will also flag off two trains and address a public gathering. Later in the day, he will visit West Bengal to inaugurate new metro services in Kolkata and launch projects worth over `5,200 crore.
PROJECTS IN BIHAR
In Bihar, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Aunta–Simaria bridge project on the Ganga in Begusarai, built at a cost of `1,870 crore.
The 8.15 km-long bridge, including a 1.86 km six-lane section across the river, will provide direct connectivity between Mokama and Begusarai and ease movement of heavy vehicles that currently take a 100 km detour due to the dilapidated Rajendra Setu. He will also inaugurate the four-lane Bakhtiyarpur–Mokama section of NH-31 costing around `1,900 crore, along with improvements on the Bikramganj–Dawath–Nawanagar–Dumraon section of NH-120. In the power sector, Modi will dedicate the Buxar Thermal Power Plant (660x1 MW) built at a cost of `6,880 crore, expected to boost energy supply in Bihar and neighbouring states.
On the health front, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Muzaffarpur, equipped with advanced facilities including oncology wards, operation theatres, labs, ICU and HDU beds. He will also launch several urban infrastructure projects under the Namami Gange and AMRUT 2.0 programmes worth around `1,260 crore, including sewage treatment plants in Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai and Jamui, and water supply projects in Bodhgaya and Jehanabad. For improved sanitation, he will inaugurate the `520 crore sewage treatment plant and network at Munger. In addition, the Prime Minister will flag off two trains: the Amrit Bharat Express between Gaya and Delhi, and the Buddhist Circuit Train between Vaishali and Koderma, aimed at boosting tourism. He will also attend a Grih Pravesh ceremony for 12,000 beneficiaries under PMAY-Gramin and 4,260 beneficiaries under PMAY-Urban.
PROJECTS IN WEST BENGAL
In the afternoon, Modi will travel to Kolkata, where at 4:15 pm he will flag off services on three newly built metro routes: Noapara–Jai Hind Bimanbandar, Sealdah–Esplanade, and Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. He will also take a metro ride from Jessore Road station to the airport and back. The new metro lines will significantly cut travel time across some of Kolkata’s busiest corridors—bringing down the Sealdah–Esplanade journey from 40 minutes to 11 minutes—and improve access to the airport and IT hub.
At a public function, Modi will inaugurate these metro sections along with a new subway at Howrah metro station. He will also lay the foundation stone for the 6-lane elevated Kona Expressway, a 7.2 km project worth over `1,200 crore, expected to ease congestion, reduce travel time, and strengthen trade links between Howrah, Kolkata, and nearby rural areas.
