Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Odisha September 27, during which he will flag off the Amrit Bharat Express connecting Berhampur with Udhna in Gujarat’s Surat district via video conferencing and unveil railway projects worth over Rs 1,700 crore, official sources said Wednesday.
They said Modi will address a public meeting at Amlipali Ground, close to Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Airport at Jharsuguda.
Though his earlier meeting venue was fixed at Berhampur in Ganjam district, it was later changed to Jharsuguda due to a forecast of heavy rainfall in southern Odisha on the day.
During the visit, the PM will also inaugurate a 5km flyover at Sambalpur City, built at a cost of Rs 273 crore.
In the state’s southern region, Modi will dedicate the doubling of the 34-km Koraput–Baiguda rail line and the 82-km Manabar–Koraput–Gorapur section, built at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore, officials said.
These upgrades will power mineral transport and open fresh pathways for growth in southern Odisha, benefiting industries and local communities alike, an official statement said.
As part of the ‘Seva Parv’ initiative, the PM is scheduled to announce the expansion of eight IITs, grant super-speciality status to MKCG medical college and hospital in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Sambalpur, launch a national skill development programme, and provide aid to 50,000 beneficiaries under the Antyodaya scheme.
Regarding the Amrit Bharat Express, officials said the train will depart from Berhampur at noon on September 27. The schedule for regular operations will be announced shortly.
PTI