Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday launch a scheme in Maharashtra aimed at benefitting over 86 lakh farmers and launch projects worth over Rs 7,500 crore and then travel to Goa to inaugurate the 37th National Games. An official statement said Modi will begin his Maharashtra tour by offering prayers at the famous Shri Saibaba temple in Shridi and inaugurate its new "darshan queue complex". He will perform "Jal Pujan" of Nilwande Dam and dedicate a canal network of the dam to the nation and later attend a public programme in Shirdi to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth about Rs 7,500 crore in sectors like health, rail, road and oil and gas.

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The statement said the new "darshan queue complex" at Shirdi is a state-of-the-art modern mega building envisaged to provide comfortable waiting areas for devotees. It is equipped with several waiting halls with a cumulative seating capacity of more than 10,000 devotees. Its foundation stone was laid by the prime minister in October, 2018.

The 85 km canal network will benefit 182 villages by facilitating pipe distribution networks of water. The idea of Nilwande Dam was first conceived in 1970. It is being developed at a cost of about Rs 5,177 crore, the statement said. During the public programme, Modi will launch the "Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana". It will benefit more than 86 lakh beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri

Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana in Maharashtra by providing an additional amount of Rs 6,000 per year to them. He will inaugurate multiple development projects, including an Ayush hospital at the Ahmednagar Civil Hospital, electrification of Kurduwadi-Latur road railway section (186 Km), four-laning of Sangli to Borgaon section of NH-166 (package-I) and additional facilities at the Manmad Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited among other projects. Noting that the National Games are being held in Goa for the first time, the statement said he will also address the athletes taking part in the showpiece sporting event.

It said, "Under the leadership of the prime minister, the sports culture in the country has undergone a sea change. With the help of continuous government support, the performance of athletes has witnessed tremendous improvement at the international level." The Games will be held from October 26 to November 9, and more than 10,000 athletes will compete in over 43 sports disciplines across 28 venues.