HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid foundation stones for several infrastructure development projects worth around Rs 6,100 crore here during his Telangana visit.
PM Modi after laying the foundation stone for the Kazipet Railway Manufacturing (Wagon Periodic Overhauling) Unit commented that it will become yet another success story if the 'Make in India' initiative.
He laid the foundation-stone for construction of the railways manufacturing unit, four-lane Karimnagar-Warangal National Highway 563 and four-lane Greenfield Highway from Mancherial to Warangal, at a programme held in Arts and Science College Grounds in Hanamkonda.
Addressing the public meeting, he said that the country has been witnessing a 'golden period' in this phase of the 21st Century and that every second needed to be fully utilised, without being left behind in grabbing any opportunity.
"With new goals we need to find new pathways. We have been working on increasing both speed and scale. We have formed a maze of connectivity and infrastructural development through highways, expressways, economic corridors and industrial corridors," he said.
Disclosing that 2,500 km long roads are being laid under the 'Bharat Mala Pariyojana,' he said that among the 12 national highways being constructed under the project, some of them will pass through Telangana as well.
Among those are Hyderabad-Indore, Hyderabad-Panaji and Surat Chennai economic corridors, and Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam inter-corridor, he said.
He said that the Mancherial-Warangal national highway will not only reduce the distance considerably but will also address the traffic congestion problem through its multi-model connectivity vision and that the Nagpur-Vijayawada national highway will establish a modern connectivity between Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
"With this connectivity industries, tourism and heritage centres in this area will develop, agri-based jobs will be created and the granite industry in Karimnagar will prosper," he observed, adding that the farmers, youth and professionals will largely benefit from these efforts.
Talking about the Production-linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) in the Make in India campaign, he said that 50 projects under it were running in Telangana alone.
"The people of Telangana have largely contributed to boosting India's capacity and making it the 5th largest economy in the world. When the entire world is showing interest in investing in our country, there will be many opportunities created in Telangana," he pointed out.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Tourism Minister and newly-appointed president of BJP in Telangana G Kishan Reddy, BJP MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar and other leaders were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said Modi has given the highest priority to infrastructure development in the country. He further said Rs 1.10 lakh crore worth of infrastructure projects so far either completed or ongoing or started in Telangana.
"I am confident that by the end of 2024, Telangana will have projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore in the state," the Union Minister said.
The projects for which the foundation stone was laid include a railway wagon manufacturing unit to be developed at a cost of over Rs 500 crore. The modern manufacturing unit will have enhanced wagon manufacturing capacity.
It will help in employment generation and development of ancillary units in nearby areas, an official release said.
Earlier, Modi offered prayers at the famous Goddess Bhadrakali temple in historic Warangal, the capital of Kakatiya kingdom.
Modi, who was accompanied by Union Tourism Minister and newly-appointed Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy and other leaders, offered prayers at the temple.
Earlier in the day, the PM arrived in Hyderabad by a special aircraft and reached Warangal in a chopper.
Before leaving for Warangal Modi tweeted: "Leaving for Warangal to attend a programme where we will inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for development works worth over Rs.6100 crores. These works cover different sectors ranging from highways to railways. They will benefit the people of Telangana."
Alleging that the NDA government at the Centre has been "anti-Telangana" in the last 9 years, ruling BRS Working President K T Rama Rao had said his party would "boycott" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state on July 8.
(With inputs from PTI)