Prime Minister Laid the Foundation Stone of Several Development Projects in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand | 14 Oct 2023

Why In News?

On October 12, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation several development projects worth about Rs 4200 crore in rural development, roads, power, irrigation, drinking water, horticulture, education, health and disaster management among other sectors in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.

Key Points:

• The following projects were inaugurated and dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister:
  • 76 rural roads and 25 bridges constructed in rural areas under PMGSY;
  • 15 buildings of BDO offices in 9 districts;
  • Upgradation of three roads constructed under the Central Road Fund – Kausani-Bageshwar Road, Dhari-Dauba-Girichhina Road and Nagla-Kichha Road;
  • Upgradation of two roads on National Highways – Almora Petshal-Panuvanaula-Danya (NH 309B) and Tanakpur-Chalthi (NH 125);
  • Three projects related to drinking water – 38 pumping drinking water schemes, 419 gravity-based water supply schemes and three tube well based water supply schemes;
  • Tharkot artificial lake in Pithoragarh;
  • 132 KV Pithoragarh-Lohaghat (Champawat) Power Transmission Line;
  • 39 bridges in Uttarakhand and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) building constructed in Dehradun under the World Bank-funded Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project.
• The projects for which foundation stones were laid are:
  • Scheme for construction of 21,398 polyhouses, which will help in increasing the production of flowers and vegetables and improving their quality;
  • A scheme for the cultivation of dense apple orchards at high density;
  • Five projects for upgradation of National Highways (NH);
  • Several steps have been taken for disaster preparedness and strengthening in the state - construction of bridges, upgradation of State Emergency Operation Center located in Dehradun, steps for prevention of landslides in Balinala and Nainital and improvement in other infrastructure related to fire, health and forest;
  • Development of hostels and computer labs in 20 model degree colleges across the state;
  • 100-bed sub-district hospital at Someshwar, Almora;
  • 50-bed hospital block in Champawat;
  • Astroturf hockey field at Haldwani Stadium in Nainital;
  • Velodrome Stadium in Rudrapur;
  • ‘Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission Scheme’ for development of infrastructure in various temples including Jageshwar Dham (Almora), Haat Kalika (Pithoragarh) and Naina Devi (Nainital) temples.