On 2 August 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a series of development initiatives worth approximately ₹2,200 crore. Simultaneously, he released the 20th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM‑Kisan) scheme, delivering financial aid to farmers.
The infra‑launch included 14 completed projects and 38 new ones, covering sectors such as roads, healthcare, education, tourism, power infrastructure and urban redevelopment. Among the major announcements were the widening of Dalmandi Road to ease pilgrimage traffic to Kashi Vishwanath Dham, upgrades to Varanasi‑Bhadohi and Chhitauni‑Shool Tankeshwar roads, construction of railway overbridges at Hardattpur and Khalispur Yard, and undergrounding electrical infrastructure under the Smart Distribution Project worth over ₹880 crore.
The urban corridor improvements extended across Lahartara‑Kotwa, Gangapur, Babatpur and additional road stretches. Tourist and cultural development initiatives comprised redevelopment of eight riverfront kuccha ghats, rejuvenation of Kalika Dham, and restoration of Durgakund, Kardameshwar Mahadev Temple, Munshi Premchand’s ancestral house, and establishment of city facility centres in Sarnath, Rishi Mandvi, and Ramnagar. A new Urban Miyawaki Forest at Kanchanpur and revamp of Shaheed Udyan and 21 more parks were also flagged off.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi emphasised inclusive development, stating: “More backward a person, more priority he gets is Modi’s mantra of development.” His message underscored a pro‑poor growth agenda for Varanasi’s less privileged communities.
At around 11 am, Mr Modi released the 20th instalment of the PM Kisan scheme from Banoli village in Sevapuri (Sewapuri), Varanasi. The allotment transferred approximately ₹20,500 crore into the bank accounts of 9.7 crore eligible farmers across India, including roughly 2.3 lakh beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh.
The PM Kisan scheme, launched in February 2019, provides land holding farmers with an annual income support of ₹6,000, disbursed in three instalments via direct benefit transfer. Since inception, more than ₹3.69 lakh crore has been distributed through 19 previous instalments.
To ensure transparency and correct targeting, the government emphasised the completion of eKYC by beneficiaries. Farmers were warned about fraudulent communications and advised to verify their eligibility and payment status via the official PM Kisan portal using Aadhaar or account numbers. Eligible recipients could authenticate through OTP based, biometric, or face authentication modes.
Security preparations for the event were extensive, including CCTV surveillance, drone monitoring, traffic diversions, designated parking zones, rooftop guard posts, and strict access controls on the route to the venue.
This visit marks Mr Modi’s 51st to Varanasi. The twin focus of infrastructure uplift and rural financial support aims to propel development in both urban and agrarian spheres of his constituency.
