LUCKNOW: The significance of Uttar Pradesh in the political landscape of the country can be gauged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already paid three visits to the poll-bound state so far this month.
The PM is set to visit the state four more times in the next 10 days for various official functions before the Election Commission comes out with the notification for 2022 Assembly polls and the model code of conduct comes into effect in the state. If the sources are to be believed, the ECI may notify the assembly polls in five states any time early next month and in UP the assembly polls may be held in 6-7 phases.
PM Modi is leaving no stone unturned to ensure BJP's victory in 2022 in UP. He will be in Shahjahanpur on December 18 to lay the foundation stone of the 594-km long Ganga Expressway from Meerut to Prayagraj followed by his visit to Sangam city of Prayagraj on December 21 to interact with nearly two lakh women employees. He is also likely to launch a few development schemes in the district on Tuesday.
Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate the first phase of his dream project -- the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project -- on December 13-14. He will again visit Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency on December 23 to hold a seminar with farmers on his vision for the agricultural sector. As per his itinerary, the PM would visit Kanpur on December 28 to inaugurate the Kanpur Metro project and participate in the IIT-Kanpur convocation.
The PM had visited the state thrice this month so far — to Gorakhpur for inaugurating AAIMS and a fertilizer factory in Gorakhpur on December 7, unveiling the national irrigation project—Saryu Canal National project in Balrampur on December 11 and launch of the first phase of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project on December 13-14.
In November, the PM had visited Sultanpur to launch Purvanchal Expressway on November 16, to inaugurate the Jhansi node of the UP Defence Corridor on November 19, participated in the DGs conference from November 19-21 and lay the foundation stone of Jewar International Airport in Greater Noida on November 25.
Ganga Expressway project is tipped to be the longest expressway project of the country joining Meerut in western UP to Prayagraj in eastern UP and it is to be finished by 2025. The road will cross 12 districts from West to East UP and the state has acquired 94% of the 7,386 hectares of land required for the project. The project will cost Rs 36,230 crore and the bids have been finalised for it.
Originally a six-lane project, it could be expanded up to eight lanes and extended till Hardwar in Uttarkhand and also till Ballia in the east in the second phase. On December 21 event, the PM would address the UP government’s women employees from across the state. Sources said discussions are on about raising the salary of Accredited social health activists (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and Anganwadi workers who treaded inaccessible paths to ensure Covid vaccination and ANM services. Bank Sakhis too have been invited.
On December 23, the PM will again be in Varanasi to address a conference on his vision for the agriculture sector and for farmers. On December 28, the PM would travel to Kanpur to inaugurate the 9-km long first leg of the Kanpur Metro Project and attend the annual convocation of IIT Kanpur.