Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Karnataka on February 27 to inaugurate the Shivamogga Airport and lay the foundation stone of two railway projects worth Rs 1,000 crore, according to a PMO statement issued today.

The Shivamogga Airport has been developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore. The passenger terminal building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour. The airport built under the UDAN scheme will improve connectivity and accessibility of Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region, the official statement said.

By inaugurating a state-of-the art facility, PM Modi would be spotlighting his vision of a fully developed India in the next 25 years, timed with a century of independence.

Focusing on connectivity and infrastructure—two pet themes of his government– the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for two railway projects in Shivamogga. This includes Shivamogga – Shikaripura – Ranebennur new Railway line and Koteganguru Railway coaching depot. The Shivamogga – Shikaripura – Ranebennur new Railway line, will be developed at a cost of Rs. 990 crore and will provide enhanced connectivity of Malnad region with Bengaluru-Mumbai mainline. Koteganguru Railway coaching depot at Shivamogga city will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 100 crores to help start new trains from Shivamogga and decongest maintenance facilities at Bengaluru and Mysuru.

Besides, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for multiple road development projects.  The projects, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 215 crore, include construction of new bypass road for Shikaripura Town on NH 766C connecting Byndur – Ranibennur; widening of NH-169A from Megaravalli to Agumbe; and construction of new bridge at Bharathipura in Thirthahally Taluk on NH 169.

During the programme, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multi-village schemes worth more than Rs 950 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. This includes inauguration of one multi-village scheme for Gowthamapura and 127 other villages and laying the foundation stone for three other multi-village schemes to be developed at a total cost of more than Rs 860 crore. The four schemes will provide functional household piped water connections and are expected to benefit a total of more than 4.4 lakh people. The initiative is part of the “Har Ghar Jal mission. Launched in 2019, it aims to provide tap water to every rural household in the country by 2024.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate 44 Smart City Projects worth more than Rs 895 crores in Shivamogga city. The projects include 8 smart road packages of 110 km length; integrated command & control centre and multi-level car parking; smart bus shelter projects, intelligent solid waste management system, development of heritage projects like Shivappa Naik Palace into an interactive museum, 90 conservancy lanes, creation of parks and riverfront development projects, among others.

In the evening the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and dedicate multiple development initiatives at Belagavi and also release the 13th instalment of PM-KISAN.

“In a step that will showcase yet another example of commitment of the Prime Minister towards welfare of farmers, the 13th instalment amount of about Rs. 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), will be released through direct benefits transfer to more than 8 crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided a benefit of Rs. 6000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs. 2000 each,” the statement added.

During the Programme, the Prime Minister will dedicate the redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building to the nation. This Railway Station is redeveloped at an approximate cost of about Rs 190 Crore to provide world-class amenities to the passengers.

Another railway project that will be dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister is the rail line doubling project between Londa-Belagavi-Ghataprabha section at Belagavi. This project, developed at a cost of about Rs 930 Crores, will enhance line capacity along the busy Mumbai – Pune – Hubballi – Bengaluru railway line, leading to promotion of trade, commerce and economic activities in the region.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of six multi village scheme projects under Jal Jeevan Mission in Belagavi, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of about Rs 1585 crore and will benefit about 8.8 lakh population of more than 315 villages.

This would be the Prime Minister’s second visit to Karnataka, following his trip to Hubballi last month, where he focused on youth as the prime movers of India’s rise on the global stage.

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