PM to visit K'taka Sunday, will inaugurate, lay foundation of projects worth around Rs 16,000 cr
New Delhi, Mar 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Karnataka on Sunday during which he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of projects worth around Rs 16,000 crore, his office said Friday.
At around 12 noon Sunday, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate and lay the foundation stones of key road projects in Mandya. Thereafter, at around 3:15 PM, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of various development initiatives in Hubbali-Dharwad, a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said.
This will be Modi's sixth visit to poll-bound Karnataka this year. Assembly elections in the state are due in April-May.
The rapid pace of development of infrastructure projects has been a testament to the vision of the prime minister to ensure world-class connectivity across the country, the statement said.
Moving ahead in this endeavour, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to the nation, it said.
The project involves six-laning of the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of NH-275. The 118-km-long project has been developed at a total cost of around Rs 8,480 crore.
It will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around three hours to about 75 minutes, the statement said.
It will act as a catalyst for socio-economic development in the region, it said.
Earlier in the day, Modi tagged a tweet by Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari who said the construction of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, which encompasses a portion of NH-275, entails the development of four rail overbridges, nine significant bridges, 40 minor bridges, and 89 underpasses and overpasses.
"An important connectivity project which will contribute to Karnataka's growth trajectory," Modi said of the project.
Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Mysuru-Khushalnagar four-lane highway.
The 92-km-long road project will be developed at a cost of around Rs 4,130 crore, the statement said.
The project will play a key role in boosting connectivity of Kushalnagar with Bengaluru and will help halve the travel time from about 5 to only 2.5 hours, it said.
In Hubbali-Dharwad, the prime minister will dedicate IIT Dharwad to the nation.
The foundation stone of the institute was laid by Prime Minister Modi in February 2019.
Developed at a cost of over Rs 850 crore, the institute currently offers four-year B.Tech. programmes, inter-disciplinary five-year BS-MS programmes, M.Tech. and Ph.D. programmes.
Prime Minister Modi will also dedicate to the nation the longest railway platform in the world at Sri Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station.
The record has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records recently. The 1,507-metre-long platform has been built at a cost of about Rs 20 crore.
The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation the electrification of Hosapete-Hubballi-Tinaighat section of the railway network and the upgradation of Hosapete station for boosting connectivity in the region.
Developed at a cost of over Rs 530 crore, the electrification project establishes seamless train operation on electric traction.
The redeveloped Hosapete station will provide convenient and modern facilities to travellers. It has been designed to resemble the Hampi monuments, the statement said.
Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of various projects of Hubballi-Dharwad smart city. The total estimated cost of these projects is about Rs 520 crore, it said.
These efforts will enhance the quality of life by creating hygienic, safe and functional public spaces and transform the town into a futuristic urban centre, it said.
Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Jayadeva Hospital and Research Centre.
The hospital will be developed at a cost of about Rs 250 crore and will provide tertiary cardiac care to the people of the region.
In order to further augment water supply in the region, Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Dharwad Multi Village Water Supply Scheme, which will be developed at a cost of over Rs 1,040 crore.
He will also lay the foundation stone of Tupparihalla Flood Damage Control Project, which will be developed at a cost of about Rs 150 crore.
The project aims to mitigate damage caused by floods and involves construction of retaining walls and embankments, the statement said.
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Rahul Gandhi alleges Election Commission 'compromised' in US; BJP responds sharply
Boston / New Delhi: Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, while addressing an event in Boston, USA, alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is "compromised" and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
Citing figures from the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Gandhi claimed that more people had reportedly voted than the total number of adult citizens in the state. He further questioned the voting data, stating, “The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5:30 PM and between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible. For a person to vote, it takes approximately 3 minutes. If you do the math, this would mean lines of voters extending till 2 AM—but such queues were never seen.”
He added that when the Congress party requested videography records to verify the voting data, the ECI not only denied the request but subsequently changed the law to restrict access to such footage.
The BJP responded strongly to Gandhi’s remarks. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan accused him of launching another "Bharat Badnam Yatra" and tarnishing India’s institutions abroad. “Rahul Gandhi, who is once again undermining India’s democracy on foreign soil, is peddling lies and falsehoods. He attacks our Election Commission in America at a time when global leaders, including former US President Donald Trump, have praised India’s electoral system,” Kesavan said.
Kesavan further criticized Gandhi for attempting to damage the credibility of Indian institutions while overseas, suggesting that the Congress leader lacks an understanding of the robustness of the country’s democratic framework.
VIDEO | Here's what BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan (@crkesavan) said on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's remarks in Boston on Election Commission of India.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 21, 2025
"Rahul Gandhi who is on another 'Bharat Badnam Yatra', 'India Abuse Yatra' on foreign soil has once again, deplorably attacked… pic.twitter.com/d65oBjICKN
