New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 29,000 crore in Mumbai. In his latest visit to Mumbai, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated and Bhoomi Pujan

New Delhi: On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 29,000 crore in Mumbai. In his latest visit to Mumbai, PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several projects ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Interestingly, the launch of these projects is part of the Mahayutti's assembly election strategy, which has been flagged on its development agenda to take on the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Speaking at the event, PM Modi said, “My vision is to make Maharashtra a major financial powerhouse in the world and make Mumbai the global fintech capital.”

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Mumbai is his first in the state after the Lok Sabha elections, though earlier he attended at least five events to dedicate to the country, several infrastructure and welfare projects. Out of the Rs 29,000 crore projects, the Prime Minister attended the ground breaking ceremony of the ambitious Thane Borivali Twin Tunnel project costing Rs 16,600 crore. The project, which has been in the news for several years, is expected to save more than an hour as commuters will be able to travel between Thane and Borivali in just 12 minutes.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is the nodal agency for project development and is expected to benefit 1 lakh commuters per day and reduce CO2 emissions by 1,50,000 metric tonnes annually. Prime Minister Modi joined the Bhumi Pujan ceremony of the second major infrastructure project, the Rs 6,300 crore double tunnel under the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road. This will reduce journey time from 75 minutes to 20 minutes and reduce carbon emissions by 23,000 metric tonnes per year, apart from fuel savings.

Prime Minister Modi launched the Chief Minister Yuva Karya Shikshan Yojana

The Prime Minister launched the Chief Minister Yuva Karya Shikshan Yojana (Training Scheme for Youth) worth Rs 5,540 crore. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in the Budget 2024-25 presented in the Legislative Assembly on June 28. The government hopes that under this scheme, employment opportunities will be provided to the youth in the age group of 18 to 35 years. 10 lakh youth will be benefited every year.

During the six-month internship, 12th pass, diploma holders and degree holders will be given a stipend ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000. Further, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Rs 813 crore Kalyan Yard remodeling project. According to the project proposal, long distance and suburban traffic will be separated and strengthening of goods yard will increase efficiency.

Prime Minister Modi dedicated Rs 52 crore extended platforms 10 and 11 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to the nation. With a platform length of 24 coaches, more passengers will be able to travel and will provide more space for passengers to alight and alight, resulting in less congestion and ease of transportation.

Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the new platform of Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at a cost of Rs 64 crore. It will accommodate more coaches, thus allowing more passengers per train and improving the station's capacity to handle increased traffic. Moreover, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Gati Shakti Multi-modal Cargo Terminal at Turbhe at a cost of Rs 27 crore. This will create additional employment opportunities and increase revenue from freight transport.

(with input from agencies)