PM Modi to visit Kerala, TN, Maharashtra; to review Gaganyaan mission

New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day tour of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra from Tuesday and will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 24,000 crore.

He will also release the 16th instalment of about Rs 21,000 crore to farmers under the 'PM-KISAN' scheme, an official statement said.

Modi will visit Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram and inaugurate three important space infrastructure projects worth about Rs 1,800 crore on Tuesday and review the progress of 'Gaganyaan', India's human spaceflight mission.

The three projects include 'PSLV integration facility' at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, 'semi-cryogenics integrated engine and stage test facility' at ISRO propulsion complex in Mahendragiri, and 'Trisonic wind tunnel' at VSSC.

In Tamil Nadu, Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 17,300 crore on Wednesday. The projects include laying the foundation stone of 'outer harbour container terminal' at V O Chidambaranar port.

He will also launch India's first indigenous green hydrogen fuel cell inland waterway vessel and address thousands of MSME entrepreneurs working in automotive sector in Madurai as well, the statement said.

In Maharashtra, the prime minister will launch several infrastructure projects related to rail, road and irrigation worth more than Rs 4,900 crore. He will also release the second and third instalments of about Rs 3,800 crore under the 'Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi'.

Among other programmes, he will disburse Rs 825 crore of revolving fund to 5.5 lakh women self-held groups across Maharashtra and kick-start the distribution of one crore Ayushman cards across the state.

He will launch the 'Modi Awaas Gharkul Yojana' for Other Backward Classes category beneficiaries in the state, and will transfer the first instalment of Rs 375 crore to 2.5 lakh beneficiaries. The scheme envisages the construction of 10 lakh houses.

Following the transfer of the 16th instalment of 'PM-KISAN' fund, the total amount of money given to more than 11 crore farmers’ families will reach over Rs 3 lakh crore, the statement said.

The PSLV integration facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre will help in boosting the frequency of PSLV launches from six to 15 per year. This state-of-the-art facility can also cater to the launches of SSLV and other small launch vehicles designed by private space companies, it said. PTI