PM Narendra Modi to arrive in Prayagraj, Chitrakooot to launch welfare programmes; security tightened

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Prayagraj and Chitrakoot districts of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday (February 29, 2020) to launch several programmes on social empowerment, infrastructure and farmers welfare.

"I am eagerly looking forward to being among my sisters and brothers of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow. There will be programmes in Prayagraj and Chitrakoot which would focus on empowerment of Divyangjan, infrastructure, farmer welfare and more," the Prime Minister said in a tweet on Friday.

PM Modi further informed that the programme for social empowerment of differently-abled citizens and senior citizens will be one of the biggest programmes in this regard.

PM Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate a ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’ in Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) which is a mega distribution camp, the biggest ever of its kind meant to provide assistance through assistive aids and devices to ''senior citizens'', particularly those from BPL families under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana and 'Divyangjans' under the Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing/fitting of aids/appliances scheme of the government.

PM Modi will then announce the setting up of 10,000 Farmers Producers’ Organisations (FPOs) across the country. The FPOs are meant to bring benefits of economies of scale to the small, marginal and landless farmers in the country, by improving their access to technology, quality inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as ensuring requisite financing and marketing facilities.

After attending the event, PM Modi will head to Chitrakoot where he will attend the one-year celebrations of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which was launched last year form Gorakhpur.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in view of the ongoing anti-CAA protests that are taking place in Roshan Bagh in Prayagraj. The district authorities had announced a restriction on use of drone cameras in the city.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot later today.

"Next-gen Infrastructure for a better tomorrow! Delighted to be laying the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. This expressway will be the harbinger of progress for youngsters in the region and will also help the Defence Corridor coming up in the state," he tweeted.

The Bundelkhand expressway will connect Chitrakoot with 6 other districts in Uttar Pradesh -- Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah

The expressway will extend from Chitrakoot's Bharatkoop to Etawah's Kudrail village. A four-lane 296 km-long expressway will be linked to Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Etawah. It could also be built into a 6-lane expressway in the future.

The proposed budget to build the expressway is around Rs 15,000 crore.PM Modi will then address a public meeting in Chitrakoot.