Farmers Movement Archive

PM Modi powers state with more infra

Coimbatore: Prime minister Narendra Modi lauded the state’s contribution to the country’s industrial growth while inaugurating a slew of infrastructure projects in the city on Thursday evening.Pointing out that power supply was inevitable for any industry to thrive, he dedicated the Rs7,800-crore 1,000 megawatt (MW) thermal power project to the nation and laid foundation stone for the Rs3,000-crore 709MW solar power project, which is being implemented by Neyveli Lignite Corporation in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar.Modi said 65% of the power generated by the new thermal power project would be offered to Tamil Nadu.Coal minister Pralhad Joshi had earlier itself made it clear that the state would get 65% of the power from the new thermal power plants, while the remaining 35% would be shared by Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana.Referring to the 5MW ground-based solar power plant that VOC Port in Tuticorin had set up at a cost of Rs20 crore, Modi said the project would help meet 60% of the port’s energy requirement. “Development and care for the environment are closely linked. VOC Port had already installed a 500KW rooftop solar plant and installation of another 140KW rooftop solar project is in progress. This is a true example of Urja Aatmanirbharta.”The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for the Rs934-crore modernization of Bhavanisagar Dam, which he said would irrigate more than two lakh acres land spread across Erode, Tirupur and Karur. Taking the opportunity to make a statement on farmers, who have been vehemently opposing the Centre’s farm laws, he quoted a Thirukkural couplet, the meaning of which could be interpreted as “farmers are the ones who truly live and all others live because of them, worshipping them”.Describing Tamil Nadu as a heavily urbanized state, Modi also laid the foundation stone for an integrated command and control centre for smart cities across the state. “This will provide intelligent and integrated IT solutions to manage various services across the cities.”The prime minister also inaugurated 4,144 tenements that were built across Tirupur, Madurai and Trichy at a cost of Rs332 crore for the people below poverty line.

The Times of India

2021-02-26

Coimbatore