PM to visit Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep on January 2-3

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep on January 2 and 3 during which he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects, his office said on Sunday.

On January 2, Modi will reach Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and will be the chief guest at the 38th Convocation Ceremony of Bharathidasan University, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

At a public programme in Tiruchirappalli, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 19,850 crore related to aviation, rail, road, oil and gas, shipping and higher education sectors.

Modi will then reach Agatti in Lakshadweep where he will address a public function.

On January 3, the prime minister will reach Kavaratti in Lakshadweep, where he will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Lakshadweep related to sectors such as telecommunications, drinking water, solar power and health.

At the programme in Tiruchirappalli, he will inaugurate the New Terminal Building at Tiruchirappalli International Airport.

Developed at a cost of more than Rs 1,100 crore, the two-level new international terminal building has the capacity to serve more than 44 lakh passengers annually and about 3,500 passengers during peak hours, the statement said.

Modi will dedicate to the nation multiple railway projects, including the doubling of rail line section of 160 Km from Madurai-“Tuticorin and three projects for rail line electrification.

The rail projects will help in improving the rail capacity to carry freight and passengers and contribute to economic development and employment generation in Tamil Nadu, the statement said.

Modi will also dedicate to the nation five road sector projects which will facilitate safe and faster travel of people of the region and improve connectivity of industrial and commercial centres like Trichy, Srirangam, Chidambaram, Rameshwaram, Dhanushkodi, Uthirakosamangai, Devipattinam, Erwadi, Madurai, among others, the statement sad.

He will also lay the foundation stone of road development projects, including the construction of a 31-km long stretch of four-lane road from Mugaiyur to Marakkanam of NH 332A. The road will connect ports on the East Coast of Tamil Nadu, enhance road connectivity to the world heritage site Mamallapuram, and provide better connectivity to Kalpakkam Atomic Power Plant.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation the General Cargo Berth-II (Automobile Export/Import Terminal-II & Capital Dredging Phase-V) of Kamarajar Port.

During the programme, he will also lay the foundation stone of important petroleum and natural gas projects worth more than Rs 9,000 crore. The projects of the petroleum and natural gas sector will be a step towards fulfilling the industrial, domestic and commercial requirements of energy in the region.

The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation the Demonstration Fast Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research Kalpakkam.

Developed at a cost of Rs 400 crore, the plant is equipped with a unique design, which is the only of its kind in the world and is capable of reprocessing both carbide and oxide fuels discharged from fast reactors. It is entirely designed by Indian scientists and signifies a crucial step towards building large commercial-scale fast reactor fuel reprocessing plants.

Among other projects, Modi will inaugurate the 500-bedded boys hostel 'AMETHYST' of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchirappalli.

During his visit to Lakshadweep, Modi will lay the foundation stone of development projects worth more than Rs 1,150 crore.

In a transformative move, the prime minister had resolved to overcome the challenge of slow internet speed in Lakshadweep island by initiating the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI-SOFC) project and made an announcement on it in the Independence Day speech in August 2020 at the Red Fort.

The project has now been completed and will be inaugurated by Modi. This will lead to an increase in internet speed of more than 100 times (from 1.7 Gbps to 200 Gbps), the statement said.

For the first time since Independence, Lakshadweep will be connected through Submarine Optic Fibre Cable.

The dedicated submarine OFC will ensure a paradigm shift in communication infrastructure in Lakshadweep islands, enabling faster and more reliable internet services, telemedicine, e-governance, educational initiatives, digital banking, digital currency usage, digital literacy etc.

Modi will also dedicate to the nation the Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination plant at Kadmat, which will produce 1.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water every day.

He will also dedicate to the nation the Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) in all households of Agatti and Minicoy islands.

Other projects which will be dedicated to the nation include the solar power plant at Kavaratti, which is the first-ever battery-backed solar power project of Lakshadweep.

It will help to reduce dependency on a Diesel-based Power Generation plant; and the new administrative block and 80 Men barrack in India Reserve Battalion Complex at Kavaratti.