Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Uttarakhand on Tuesday, marking his 27th visit to the state. Notably, this will be his 17th visit during the four-and-a-half-year tenure of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway and also dedicate to the nation the country's first variable speed pumped storage plant of 1,000 MW capacity in Tehri. There is widespread enthusiasm among the people of Uttarakhand regarding his arrival, and the state government is making extensive preparations to ensure the inauguration ceremony is memorable, according to a release from Uttarakhand CMO.
After becoming Prime Minister in May 2014, Narendra Modi made his first visit to Uttarakhand on September 11, 2015, when he reached Rishikesh. During that visit, he went to the Dayanand Saraswati Ashram and met spiritual guru Dayanand Giri, inquiring about his well-being. The Prime Minister also holds deep reverence for the major pilgrimage sites of Uttarakhand, including Kedarnath. Since assuming office, he has visited Kedarnath five times and has also travelled to Badrinath and Mukhba.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a strong brand ambassador for pilgrimage and tourism in Uttarakhand. At a time when natural disasters had impacted travel to Kedarnath, his visit to the shrine helped send a message of safe pilgrimage to people across the country and the world.
Following his visits, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of devotees visiting Kedarnath. Similarly, after he visited Adi Kailash in Pithoragarh district, the region has witnessed a surge in pilgrim footfall. Last year in March, the Prime Minister visited Mukhba in Uttarkashi district, the winter abode of Goddess Ganga, promoting winter pilgrimage and boosting year-round tourism in the state, according to the release.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares a deep emotional and spiritual connection with Uttarakhand, adding that the state holds a special place in his heart. He noted that since Modi became Prime Minister, several major development projects have been approved for the state, with more than Rs 2 lakh crore worth of schemes already implemented on the ground.
There has been a significant transformation in connectivity infrastructure, including projects such as the Char Dham All Weather Road, the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Project, ropeway projects for Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib, and the Dehradun-Delhi elevated road. Under PMGSY, road connectivity has expanded in remote rural areas, alongside improvements in air and rail services. Ropeway projects are also progressing rapidly, the release stated.
During Chief Minister Dhami's tenure, the Prime Minister has visited Uttarakhand 16 times prior to this upcoming visit. On these occasions, the state government has presented him with replicas and symbolic items reflecting Uttarakhand's unique cultural and religious heritage, along with local products.
Regarding the Tehri project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country's first variable speed pumped storage plant on April 14. With a total capacity of 1,000 MW, the plant has been developed by THDC as part of the 2,400 MW Tehri Hydro Power Complex. It will generate additional electricity by utilising the upper and lower reservoirs of the Tehri hydro project. This project is expected to become a milestone in India's energy journey.