PM Modi to launch projects worth Rs 6,800 cr in poll-bound Tripura, Meghalaya on December 18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit poll-bound Tripura and Meghalaya on Sunday and inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of projects worth more than Rs 6,800 crore.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement that the projects encompass a wide array of sectors, including housing, road, agriculture, telecom, IT, tourism and hospitality.

Modi will also participate in the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and attend its meeting in Shillong, it said.

In Agartala, the prime minister will launch the "Grih Pravesh" programme for more than two lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban and Rural - schemes.

The PMO noted that the NEC was formally inaugurated on November 7, 1972, and it has played a key role in the region's socio-economic development by supporting various infrastructure projects and development initiatives.

It has helped create valuable capital and social infrastructure, especially in critical gap areas of sectors, including education, health, sports, water resources, agriculture, tourism and industry, the PMO said.

At a public function, Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs 2,450 crores, it said.

In a step to further boost telecom connectivity in the region, he will dedicate to the nation 4G mobile towers, of which more than 320 have been completed and around 890 are under construction.

Modi will also inaugurate the new campus of IIM Shillong at Umsawli, besides several other development initiatives, including four road projects across the three states of Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

A spawn laboratory at the Mushroom Development Centre and an integrated beekeeping development centre will also be inaugurated by him in Meghalaya, besides 21 Hindi libraries in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Assam, the PMO said.

In Tripura, Modi will launch projects worth over Rs 4,350 crores.

The PMO noted that Modi has focussed on ensuring that everyone has a house of their own. In a key step towards this, he will be launching the 'Grih Pravesh' programme. These houses developed at a cost of over Rs 3,400 crores will cover over two lakh beneficiaries.

With a focus on improving road connectivity, the prime minister will inaugurate a project for widening of the Agartala bypass (Khayerpur-Amtali) NH-08, which will help ease traffic congestion in Agartala city, it said.

He will also lay the foundation stones for 32 roads of more than 230 km in length under the PMGSY III (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) and for improvement of 112 roads covering a distance of over 540 km.

The State Institute of Hotel Management at Anandnagar and Agartala Government Dental College will also be inaugurated by him.

Both the states are heading for assembly polls, which are likely to be held in February. While the BJP is in power in Tripura, it is working to boost its strength in Meghalaya.