New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar and West Bengal today to inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth more than ₹12,000 crore. This important visit comes ahead of assembly elections in both states and includes major announcements in infrastructure, energy, and social welfare.
The Prime Minister will start his day in Motihari, Bihar, where he plans to speak at a public gathering around 11:30 AM. He will launch projects valued at over ₹7,200 crore related to railways, roads, rural development, fisheries, and information technology. A key part of the visit will be the launch of four new Amrit Bharat trains to improve connectivity between Bihar, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
Among the railway projects, the Prime Minister will dedicate the automatic signalling system between Samastipur and Bachhwara and inaugurate the doubling of railway lines in the Darbhanga and Samastipur region. He will lay the foundation stone for infrastructure to maintain Vande Bharat trains at Patliputra and for the ₹4,080 crore Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj doubling project, which is expected to improve links between North Bihar and the rest of India.
In the road sector, Modi will open the Parariya-Mohania section of National Highway-319, built at a cost of over ₹820 crore. He will also lay the foundation stone for the 4-laning of the Ara bypass to ease traffic between Ara, Mohania, and Patna. Other projects will include upgrading NH-333C to enhance connections between Bihar and Jharkhand.
To support digital and startup infrastructure, Modi will open new Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) facilities in Darbhanga and Patna to promote IT exports and strengthen the state’s startup ecosystem. He will also announce several fisheries development projects under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, including fish hatcheries, biofloc units, and integrated aquaculture projects meant to create jobs and increase fish production in rural areas.
The Prime Minister will provide ₹400 crore to about 61,500 Self-Help Groups in Bihar through the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission, focusing on women-led development. He will also hand over keys to beneficiaries under the Griha Pravesh scheme and release over ₹160 crore to 40,000 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin.
In the afternoon, Modi will travel to Durgapur in West Bengal, where he will launch projects worth over ₹5,000 crore. He will speak at another public gathering around 3 PM.
In the energy sector, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for Bharat Petroleum’s City Gas Distribution project for Bankura and Purulia, valued at nearly ₹1,950 crore. He will also dedicate the Durgapur-Kolkata stretch of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga pipeline, completed at a cost of ₹1,190 crore.
In line with environmental goals, he will inaugurate flue gas desulphurization (FGD) systems at Durgapur Steel Thermal Power Station and Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station, a ₹1,457 crore effort to reduce pollution and promote clean energy.
Modi will also dedicate the doubled Purulia–Kotshila railway line to the nation. The 36-km line will improve freight and passenger movement between significant industrial areas of Jharkhand and West Bengal. He will open two road overbridges at Topsi and Pandabeshwar in Paschim Bardhaman, constructed under the Setu Bharatam Programme, to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety at railway crossings.
While the Prime Minister’s visit officially focuses on development, the timing of the events just ahead of state elections adds political significance to the high-value announcements. The rollout of welfare schemes, infrastructure projects, and connectivity improvements is likely to resonate politically in both Bihar and West Bengal in the months to come.