PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stone of hydropower projects in Himachal

Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), Dec 27 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to Mandi, also known as 'Chhoti Kashi', on Monday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth Rs 11,000 crore.

He will also preside over the second groundbreaking ceremony of the Himachal Pradesh Global Investors' Meet that is expected to give a boost to investment in the region through the start of projects worth around Rs 28,000 crore.

The events marked the completion of the four years of the BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur in the state.

An official statement said that the Prime Minister has constantly focussed on fully utilising the untapped potential of the resources available in the country and one of the steps in this regard has been to utilise optimally the hydropower potential in the Himalayan region.

The projects which will be inaugurated and whose foundation stone will be laid by the Prime Minister during the visit reflect a key step in this direction, it said.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of Renukaji Dam project. Lying pending for around three decades, the project was made possible through the "vision of cooperative federalism" of the Prime Minister, when six states -- Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi -- were brought together by the Centre for making the project possible.

The 40 MW project will be built at a cost of around Rs 7,000 crore. It will prove to be immensely beneficial for Delhi, which will be able to receive around 500 million cubic metre water supply per year.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project. The 210 MW project will be built at a cost of over Rs 1,800 crore. It will lead to generation of over 750 million units of electricity per year.

The modern and dependable grid support will prove beneficial to surrounding states of the region as well.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project. This will be the first hydropower project of Hamirpur district. The 66 MW project will be built at a cost of over Rs 680 crore.

It will lead to generation of over 300 million units of electricity per year.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Power Project. The 111 MW project has been built at a cost of around Rs 2,080 crore. It will lead to generation of over 380 million units of electricity per year, and help the state earn revenue worth over Rs 120 crore annually.