PM to inaugurate projects worth Rs 168.35 bn in Jharkhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Deoghar in Jharkhand to launch or inaugurate development projects worth Rs 168.35 billion, including the Rs 4 billion Deoghar airport. Modi will also dedicate to the nation the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Deoghar, which has come up at a cost of Rs 11 billion. The Deoghar airport will provide air connectivity to Baidyanath Dham, a religious destination thronged by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the country every year. The annual Shravani Mela fair at Baidyanath Dham begins next week. Modi will also offer prayers at ‘Baba Dham’, and “hold his longest-ever roadshow, of 11.5 km, in the district and later address a jan sabha,” a statement from the state Bharatiya Janata Party said. Tuesday’s visit, Modi’s first to the state since 2019, is being seen as a show of support for local MP Nishikant Dubey, who has been sniping at Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The Chief Minister is under fire over a mining scam and a money-laundering investigation against his aide, Pankaj Mishra. Last week, the ED raided more than a dozen premises linked to Mishra and seized around Rs 53.2 million in cash.Also Read: PM Modi set to inaugurate Jharkhand’s new Deoghar airport Upcoming Sabarimala airport to boast Kerala’s longest runway