• PM Modi to launch infrastructure projects worth Rs 33,000 crore

    Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi will either inaugurate or lay foundation stones for several infrastructure projects worth around Rs 33,000 crore at Begusarai on Sunday.

    The projects for which foundation will be laid include expansion of production capacity of Barauni refinery from 6 million metric tonnes to nine million metric tonnes per annum, setting up an amonia-urea fertilizer complex at Barauni refinery, expansion of Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline up to Patna and Muzaffarpur, sewerage projects worth Rs 452.33 crore, Patna metro rail project, establishment of medical college at Chhapra and upgradation of government medical colleges at Bhagalpur and Gaya.

    The PM will inaugurate 415km-long Jagdishpur-Haldia-Dhamra pipeline project, Patna City Gas Distribution project, phase 1 of Patna riverfront development project, Ranchi-Patna weekly air-conditioned train and electrification of Biharsharif-Daniyawan, Fatuha-Islampur and Sugauli-Raxaul rail sections.

    Governor Lalji Tandon, CM Nitish Kumar, Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Giriraj Singh, R K Singh, Ram Kripal Yadav and Ashwini Kumar Chaubey will also attend the event. The PM is scheduled to address the audience around 12pm.

    This will be the second time that PM Modi will share dais with CM Nitish after the latter’s return to the NDA in July 2017. The two had earlier shared the stage at Mokama on October 14, 2017 when PM Modi had laid foundation for infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,769 crore.

    “Though it is a sombre moment for the entire country, development work cannot stop. Hence, PM Modi will launch projects worth Rs 33,000 crore, which will benefit state and the entire eastern India. Some projects, including expansion of Barauni refinery, are part of PM’s special package for Bihar,” deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi told TOI, adding Bihar has ushered in a new era of manifold development with ‘double engine’ of NDA government at the Centre and in state.

    The expansion of Barauni refinery is expected to increase the demand of petroleum products in eastern India. According to sources, the Barauni fertiliser plant of Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation Ltd (HFCL) has been closed since 1999, but on July 13, 2016, the Union cabinet had approved plans for revival of HFCL’s Barauni, Sindri and Gorakhpur plants through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the NTPC, Coal India Limited and the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for setting up a gas-based ammonia-urea plant of 1.27MTPA capacity at an estimated expenditure of Rs 6,000 crore each. Later, 480 acres of land of Barauni fertiliser unit was transferred to Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd (HURL) on lease for reviving the plant.

    Another salient feature of the revival of Barauni refinery is setting up of an aviation turbine fuel hydro-treating unit, which is aimed at fulfilling the demand of aviation fuel in Bihar and Nepal.

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