Varanasi: PM Modi to lay foundation stone of international cricket stadium on Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday. The Uttar Pradesh government, in a press statement on Thursday, said that it has spent Rs 121 crore to acquire the land for the stadium while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will spend Rs 330 crore on its construction. PM Modi will also address a rally of women supporters where he will speak about the women’s reservation bill passed by Parliament, an official said. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate 16 newly constructed Atal Residential Schools during the visit to his parliamentary constituency. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the cricket stadium in Ganjari. He will then address a rally of over 5,000 women at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023,” Varanasi Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said on Friday. The prime minister will then reach the Rudraksh Centre where he will inaugurate 16 newly constructed Atal Residential Schools, Sharma said. The 128th Constitution amendment bill, referred to as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women received a parliamentary nod on Thursday. According to the statement of UP government, cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and Ravi Shastri, among others are likely to attend the ceremony. BCCI President Roger Binny, its Vice President Rajiv Shukla and Secretary Jay Shah will attend the event. The “essence of Kashi” will be visible in the design of the 30,000-capacity stadium which will feature crescent-shaped roof covers, floodlights shaped like a trident, patterns resembling bel leaves, and one of the structures shaped like a ‘damru’, a hand percussion instrument associated with Lord Shiva. The spectators’ gallery of the stadium will resemble the steps of the ghats of Varanasi. Situated near the Ring Road in Rajatalab area, it is likely to be ready by December 2025, it said. This will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium after Kanpur and Lucknow.