Modi to begin two-day Varanasi visit on Friday

Among the highlights will be the flagging off of the Mahamana Express train which will connect Varanasi with Surat and Vadodara in Gujarat.

Varanasi/New Delhi, Sep 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi on Friday for a two-day visit during which he will inaugurate several projects covering sectors like infrastructure, railways, financial inclusion and sanitation.

Among the highlights will be the flagging off of the Mahamana Express train which will connect Varanasi with Surat and Vadodara in Gujarat.

"Tomorrow I begin my Varanasi visit, during which various development works will be launched," Modi tweeted tonight.

He said the Deendayal Hastkala Sankul, a trade facilitation centre for handicrafts, will be dedicated to the nation tomorrow. Other projects to be inaugurated include Utkarsh Bank, which specialises in micro finance, 'Jal Ambulance' (water ambulance) service and 'Jal Shav Vahan' (water-based vehicle for carrying bodies) service, the prime minister said in another tweet. The prime minister will unveil a plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of the headquarters building of the Utkarsh Bank, the PMO said.

In the evening tomorrow, Modi will visit the historic Tulsi Manas Temple in Varanasi. He will also release a postal stamp on Ramayana. He will later visit the Durga Mata Temple in the city.

"I look forward to praying at the historic Tulsi Manas Temple & Durga Mata Temple. A postage stamp on the Ramayana will also be released," Modi said in another tweet.

On Saturday, the prime minister will briefly participate in a sanitation-related activity in a village of Shahanshahpur. He will distribute certificates to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural & Urban) and address a gathering on the occasion. Modi will inaugurate nearly 17 infrastructure projects, including the Ramnagar-Samne Ghat bridge and the Balua Ghat bridge, and lay the foundation of nearly six projects including Ramna Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), said Sanjay Bhardwaj, the BJP's eastern Uttar Pradesh media in- charge.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation a community kitchen ('Annakshetra') near the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn said. On September 23, Modi will inaugurate 'Pashu Arogya Mela' in Shahanshahpur on the outskirts of the city. He will also address a gathering of farmers there.

He will also distribute loan waiver certificates to some farmers, whose loans have been waived by the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government. According to the Union Water Resources Ministry, the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is "a major step forward in realising the dream of Nirmal Ganga under Namami Gange programme." In a statement, it said the STP with 50 million litre daily-capacity will be the first plant to be developed under hybrid annuity-public private partnership model.

Under this model, the development, operation and maintenance of the STP will be undertaken by a special purpose vehicle at the local level. Forty percent of the capital cost would be paid during construction while the remaining 60 percent of the cost will be paid over the life of the project as annuities along with operation and maintenance cost expenses for the next 15 years, the water resources ministry said.

The work to construct, operate and maintain the 50 MLD STP in Varanasi has been awarded to a consortium led by Essel Infra Projects Limited at an estimated cost of Rs 153.16 crore.

PTI