Narendra Modi's two-day Lucknow visit begins today: PM to focus on urban housing, infrastructure

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Lucknow on 28 and 29 July, with a focus on urban development of the city. Modi will inaugurate and attend ground-breaking ceremony of projects worth Rs 60,000 crore. On the first day of his visit, the prime minister will launch 95 projects related to urban housing and infrastructure, and the Smart City Mission. Of these 57 projects will be related to the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Yojana (AMRUT scheme), 27 for the smart cities scheme and 11 for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), said a government spokesperson to The Hindu. [caption id=“attachment_4481121” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AP.[/caption] Modi will also attend an event on “Transforming Urban Landscape.” This will mark the third anniversary of three key Government initiatives related to Urban Development. The prime minister will visit an exhibition on Flagship Missions of Urban Development and interact with 35 beneficiaries of PMAY (Urban) — one from each state and Union Terrority. He will also receive feedback from PMAY beneficiaries, via video conferencing, from different cities of Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, he will lay the foundation stone for various projects under various flagship missions. On the second day, Modi will launch the ground-breaking ceremony of projects in Uttar Pradesh worth Rs 60,000 crore that was pledged by investors during the Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit 2018 in February. The summit led to the generation of investment intent worth more than Rs. 4.28 lakh crore across sectors like renewable energy, infrastructure, power, IT and electronic manufacturing, tourism etc. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed security and infrastructural preparedness on Sunday. “The chief minister said the event will give a new direction to the development of Uttar Pradesh,”  The Hindu quoted a government spokesperson as saying. According to The Times of India, over 5,000 security personnel are being deployed in the state capital. A special strike force and quick response team (QRT) will also be deployed, while 20 teams of local intelligence unit would be in the field along with police dogs. Lucknow is being decked up in view of the prime minister’s visit. According to  The Asian Age, LED lights are being wound around the electric poles and facade lighting has been installed on monuments and crossings.