New Delhi, July 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch, inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth around Rs 1.06 lakh crore during his visit to Rajasthan on Saturday, with major investments targeting transport, energy, aviation, railways, urban infrastructure and petrochemicals to strengthen connectivity and industrial growth.
The visit will begin in Jodhpur, where the Prime Minister will inaugurate the new terminal building at Jodhpur Airport and launch the Modified UDAN Scheme before travelling to Balotra to dedicate the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Pachpadra.
The Modified UDAN Scheme, to be launched at around 10.45 a.m., has been allocated Rs 28,840 crore over the next decade. The programme aims to expand regional air connectivity by developing 100 aerodromes from existing unserved airstrips, constructing 200 helipads and continuing viability gap funding for airlines. The scheme also promotes the use of indigenous aircraft and helicopters, including HAL Dhruv and Dornier platforms, under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the new terminal building at Jodhpur Airport, developed at a cost of Rs 480 crore. Spread across more than 23,000 square metres, the terminal has the capacity to handle 20 lakh passengers annually and incorporates Rajasthan’s traditional architectural elements alongside modern passenger facilities and sustainable design features aimed at achieving a 5-Star GRIHA rating.
At around 12.15 p.m., Modi will dedicate the 9 MMTPA HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited at Pachpadra to the nation. Developed as a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and the Government of Rajasthan, the integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex has been built with an investment exceeding Rs 79,450 crore.
The refinery has a petrochemical capacity of 2.4 MMTPA and a Nelson Complexity Index of 17, among the highest in India. The project is expected to strengthen India’s energy security, reduce dependence on imported petrochemicals, promote downstream industries through the proposed Petrochemical and Plastic Park and generate employment in the region.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for Phase II of the Jaipur Metro Rail Project, estimated at more than Rs 13,000 crore. The 41-km north-south corridor from Prahladpura to Todi Mod will include 36 stations and connect major residential, industrial and institutional areas, including Sitapura Industrial Area, Vishwakarma Industrial Area, Jaipur Airport, Tonk Road and SMS Hospital.
In the railway sector, Modi will dedicate the Churu-Sadulpur and Churu-Ratangarh rail doubling projects, constructed at a cost of around Rs 900 crore to improve passenger and freight movement across north-west Rajasthan. He will also inaugurate the four-laning of the NH-125A Jodhpur Ring Road Section-II (Karwar-Dangiyawas), built at a cost of about Rs 740 crore.
The renewable energy segment includes the dedication of SJVN’s 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Energy Project, developed at an investment of around Rs 5,500 crore, and the inauguration of NHPC’s 300 MW Karnisar Bikaner Solar Power Plant. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a transmission line costing over Rs 1,900 crore for evacuating power from the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Zone and lay the foundation stone for a 530-km transmission system to strengthen renewable energy integration.
During the programme, appointment letters will be distributed to around 54,000 newly recruited youth across various Rajasthan government departments.
Later, Modi will travel to Sanand in Gujarat to inaugurate the CG Semi Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test facility, one of the first four projects approved under the India Semiconductor Mission. Developed at an investment of more than Rs 7,500 crore, the facility will have the capacity to produce up to 5 billion semiconductor chips annually for the automotive, industrial, telecommunications, 5G and Internet of Things sectors while providing end-to-end semiconductor assembly and testing services.
