Narendra Modi arrives in Karnataka: PM to offer prayers in Dharmasthala, launch projects in Bengaluru, Bidar and Ujjire

Mangaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Karnataka to take part in various public functions. Modi landed at the Mangaluru airport from New Delhi and flew to Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district in a helicopter. [caption id=“attachment_4118819” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] The prime minister would be offering prayers at the Manjunatheshwara Temple in Dharmasthala, which is about 100 km away from the port city of Mangaluru. On account of the prime minister’s visit, the temple administration has restricted public entry till 2 pm on Sunday. Modi will later address a public rally at Ujjire town near Dharmasthala and hand over RuPay cards to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Than Yojana (PMJDY) account holders. A few of the beneficiaries will transact on the RuPay cards in the portable mini ATMs at the event in the presence of Modi and other dignitaries. The prime minister will also launch the digitised cashless Self-Help Groups (SHG) transactions in the state charitable trust of the Sree Kshetra Dharmastala Rural Development project. “Our volunteers have helped over a million members of the SHG across the state in opening the PMJDY accounts in the banks,” said Project Executive Director LH Manjunath from the Dharmasthala temple town. Later in the day, Modi will fly to the state capital Bengaluru to attend a public function organised by the Vedanta Bharati at the Palace Grounds. “A mass recitation of the Soundarya Lahari hymn of Adi Shankaracharya will be held at the event in the prime minister’s presence,” the official said on Saturday. In the evening, he would inaugurate the 110 km Bidar-Kalaburgi railway track in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region that would reduce the distance between Bengaluru and New Delhi by 380km and travel time by six to eight hours. Follow live updates here