Siwan, June 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to announce infrastructure projects worth over ₹5,700 crore during his visit to Bihar’s Siwan district on Friday, as part of a wider development push in the poll-bound state, officials said.
On his 51st visit to the state since taking office, Modi will launch or inaugurate a total of 22 projects and release ₹510 crore as the first installment under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) scheme, benefiting around 53,666 homeless individuals. Another 6,684 urban poor families are expected to receive keys to their new homes.
The prime minister will also flag off a new Vande Bharat Express between Patliputra (Patna) and Gorakhpur in neighboring Uttar Pradesh, and inaugurate a 29-km railway line between Vaishali and Deoria. He will lay the foundation stone for 11 projects under the Amrit Bharat scheme and four under the Namami Gange initiative.
Among major civic infrastructure undertakings, Modi will lay foundation stones for multiple urban water and sewage projects including:
- The ₹69 crore Bettiah Water Supply Project in West Champaran,
- ₹19 crore Chapra Water Supply Project in Saran,
- ₹400 crore Motihari Sewage Management Project in East Champaran, and
- ₹138 crore Ara Water Supply Project in Bhojpur.
Additionally, a ₹135 crore 500 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will be established across 15 grid substations in the state under a viability gap funding model. In a symbolic milestone for India’s industrial exports, Modi will also inaugurate the first locomotive to be exported to Guinea from the locomotive factory at Marhowra in Saran district.
Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary called Modi’s visit—the second in 20 days and fifth in 2024—a reflection of the government’s prioritization of the eastern state. “The NDA government has ensured budgetary allocations for roads, railway lines, airports, and employment opportunities,” Choudhary said.
Party officials said the visit is expected to give fresh momentum to the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) campaign in the state, which is expected to revolve around themes of development and social justice.
“The NDA is a formidable force with two popular leaders—PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar. The opposition lacks direction and clarity in its agenda,” a senior BJP leader said. In the 2020 assembly elections, the BJP won 71 of the 110 seats it contested in the 243-member Bihar legislative assembly.
