PM Modi Inaugurates Pune Metro Projects Worth Rs 21,800 Crore

New Delhi, Nov 3 (KNN) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for Pune Metro projects worth around Rs 21,800 crore through video conferencing.

The projects include the Hinjawadi-Shivajinagar metro corridor, which will connect a major IT hub, and a new metro line aimed at linking the older and newer parts of Pune.

Addressing the event, Modi said the expansion of metro connectivity would improve urban mobility and support the city's development. He said the metro network saves commuting time and improves ease of living.

The Prime Minister said India's metro network had expanded to nearly 1,200 km across 26 cities over the past 12 years, serving more than one crore commuters daily.

In Maharashtra, around 175 km of metro lines are operational, while construction is underway on more than 680 km, involving investments exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh crore, he said.

Modi also noted that the newly inaugurated corridor had been developed under the public-private partnership model.

Referring to urban development, he said cities are major centres of economic activity and called for developing hundreds of smaller cities as growth hubs. He also referred to the Urban Challenge Fund, approved in February, which provides for Rs 1 lakh crore in central assistance to mobilise urban investment.

The Prime Minister said India had recorded the world's fastest economic growth and lifted 50 crore people out of extreme poverty over the past 10 to 12 years, citing the latest World Bank report.

He also expressed concern over the difficulties faced by farmers in Maharashtra due to adverse weather and natural calamities, and said the government would support affected farming families.

(KNN Bureau)