PM Modi to unveil over Rs 12,000 crore projects in Bihar, West Bengal on July 18

New Delhi, Jul 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar and West Bengal on July 18 to launch and dedicate a series of development projects spanning key sectors, including railways, roads, energy, IT, and rural development. The projects collectively amount to over Rs 12,200 crore.

In Bihar, at a public event in Motihari around 11:30 AM, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate, and dedicate to the nation infrastructure and development initiatives worth more than Rs 7,200 crore.

These include projects in the rail, road, rural development, fisheries, and IT sectors. Focusing on enhancing connectivity, PM Modi will inaugurate and initiate several railway projects, including the doubling of rail lines, installation of automatic signalling systems, and development of maintenance infrastructure for Vande Bharat trains at Patliputra. The Rs 4,080 crore Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj doubling project will improve train capacity and connectivity across North Bihar. In the roads sector, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Ara bypass and inaugurate the completed Parariya-Mohania section of NH-319. These projects aim to improve freight movement and regional connectivity, particularly with Jharkhand. To boost the tech and startup ecosystem, he will inaugurate Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) facilities in Darbhanga and Patna, promoting IT exports and innovation.

For the fisheries sector, modern aquaculture infrastructure developed under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana will be inaugurated. These include hatcheries, biofloc systems, and fish feed mills aimed at increasing fish production and generating rural employment. The visit will also see the release of Rs 400 crore to 61,500 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission, reinforcing women-led development. Additionally, keys will be handed over to beneficiaries of housing schemes, and Rs 160 crore disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin.

In West Bengal, later in the afternoon, around 3 PM, the Prime Minister will reach Durgapur to lay the foundation stone, inaugurate, and dedicate development projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore in the oil & gas, power, road, and rail sectors. Among the key announcements is the launch of Bharat Petroleum’s Rs 1,950 crore City Gas Distribution project in Bankura and Purulia, aimed at supplying PNG and CNG across domestic, commercial, and industrial segments.

He will also dedicate the Durgapur-Kolkata section of the Durgapur-Haldia Natural Gas Pipeline, part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project, enhancing clean energy access to households across multiple districts. To promote cleaner energy production, retrofitted Flue Gas Desulphurization units at two thermal power stations in Durgapur and Raghunathpur, worth Rs 1,457 crore, will be inaugurated. In the rail sector, the doubling of the Purulia-Kotshila rail line will be dedicated to the nation, improving freight movement from industrial hubs like Jamshedpur and Bokaro to Ranchi and Kolkata. Additionally, two new road overbridges constructed under the Setu Bharatam programme at Topsi and Pandabeshwar will be inaugurated to ease road traffic and enhance safety near railway crossings. The Prime Minister is expected to address public gatherings at both locations.