Current Affairs Date: 16 April 2023

⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various projects worth more than 75,000 crores in Maharashtra on 11 December 2022.

• • It includes national rail projects worth more than 1500 crores, National Institute of One Health (NIO), Nagpur and Nag River pollution abatement project, Nagpur.
  • The Prime Minister flagged off Vande Bharat Express from Nagpur to Bilaspur, dedicated ‘Nagpur Metro Phase I’ to the nation, and laid the foundation stone of ‘Nagpur Metro phase- II’.
  • During the programme, the Prime Minister also dedicated ‘Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur’ to the nation and inaugurated ‘Centre for Research, Management and Control of Hemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur’.
  • The Prime Minister also inaugurated Phase – I of Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg. The Prime Minister also dedicated AIIMS Nagpur to the nation.

Various Projects:

Rail projects:

» Vande Bharat Express: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off Vande Bharat Express connecting Nagpur and Bilaspur from platform number 1 of the Nagpur Railway Station.

• • The travel time from Nagpur to Bilaspur has been reduced to 5 hours 30 mins from 7-8 hours.
  • This was the sixth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country and is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration.

» At a public function in Nagpur, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of Nagpur Railway Station and Ajni Railway Station.

• • Nagpur railway station redevelopment project is estimated to cost Rs 589.22 crore.  Project completion is 36 months. Ajni railway station redevelopment project is estimated to cost Rs 359.82 crore. Project will complete in 40 months.

» Prime Minister dedicated Government Maintenance Depot, Ajni (Nagpur) and Kohli-Narkher Section of Nagpur- Itarsi Third line project to the Nation.

Government Maintenance Depot, Ajni for 12000 HP WAG-12 freight locomotives:

• • This Government Maintenance Depot at Ajni is part of Madhepura Electric Loco Project. It is one of the largest PPP Projects for Indian Railways, completed in August 2022 at an estimated cost of Depot is Rs.110 crore.
  • This project is executed by Madhepura Electric Locomotives Pvt. Ltd, (MELPL), a joint venture between Ministry of Railways and M/s Alstom.
  • The total area of the Depot is 17 acres which will maintain 250 numbers of 12000 HP WAG-12 class of freight locomotives for hauling heavy freight trains; specially coal, iron ore and minerals.  It can monitor locomotive health using Internet of Things (IoT).

Kohli-Narkher section of Nagpur-Itarsi 3rd line project:

• • The cost of Kohli-Narkher 49.74 km section is Rs 453 Crore.
  • The section was commissioned in three phases viz Katol – Kohli (24.63 km) on 15-03-2022; Narkher –Kalamba (15.06 km) on 24-06-2022 and Kalamba – Katol (10.05) km on 12-11-2022.
  • This 3rd line project will help augment capacity and decongest traffic on busy Nagpur-Itarsi section.

» Nagpur Metro:

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated ‘Nagpur Metro Phase I’ to the nation, and laid the foundation stone of ‘Nagpur Metro phase- II’ at Khapri Metro Station on 11 December 2022.

• • The Prime Minister also flagged off two inaugural metro trains from Khapri to Automotive Square (Orange Line) and Prajapati Nagar to Lokmanya Nagar (Aqua line).
  • Phase I of the Nagpur Metro is developed at a cost of more than Rs 8650 crore while Phase- II will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 6700 crore.

» Samriddhi Mahamarg, Nagpur:

The Prime Minister inaugurated Phase – I of Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, covering a distance of 520 kilometres and connecting Nagpur and Shirdi.

• • Samruddhi Mahamarg or Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway project is a major step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision of improved connectivity and infrastructure across the country.
  • The 701 Km expressway – being built at a cost of about Rs 55,000 crore – is one of India’s longest expressways, passing through Maharashtra’s 10 districts and prominent urban regions of Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik.
  • The expressway will also help improve the connectivity of adjoining 14 other districts, thus helping in the development of about 24 districts of the state including the regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra.
  • Espousing the Prime Minister’s vision of integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects under PM Gati Shakti, the Samruddhi Mahamarg will connect to the Delhi Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and tourist locations like Ajanta Ellora Caves, Shirdi, Verul, Lonar, etc.

» AIIMS Nagpur:

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated AIIMS Nagpur to the nation.

• • The Hospital, whose foundational stone was also laid by the Prime Minister in July 2017, has been established under the Central sector scheme Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.
  • AIIMS Nagpur is being developed at a cost of more than Rs 1575 crore.
  • AIIMS Nagpur is a hospital with state-of-the-art facilities, with OPD, IPD, diagnostic services, Operation theatres and 38 departments covering all major speciality and super speciality subjects of Medical Science.
  • The hospital provides modern healthcare facilities to the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and is a boon to the surrounding tribal areas of Gadchiroli, Gondia and Melghat.

» National Institute of One Health, Nagpur:

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the National Institute for One Health, Nagpur.

• • The laying of the foundation stone for the National Institute of One Health (NIO), Nagpur by the Prime Minister is a step towards building capacity and infrastructure in the country under the ‘One Health’ approach.
  • With increased interaction between humans and animals – domestic and wild, and influenced by climate change, human health can no longer be seen in isolation. More than half of all infections that people get, can be spread by animals. In this context, National Institute for One Health in Nagpur is an important infrastructural milestone for India.
  • ‘One Health’ approach recognises that the health of human beings is connected to the health of animals and the environment.
  • This approach appreciates that most of the contagious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic (animal to human) in nature. The Institute will focus on increasing preparedness and laboratory capabilities for identification of novel and unknown zoonotic agents.
  • The institute – to be established at a cost of more than Rs 110 crore – will collaborate and coordinate with all stakeholders and act as a catalyst to improve the research and capacity building in ‘One Health’ approach across the country.
  • This dedicated institute will be equipped with the Bio Safety Level (BSL-IV) laboratory. It will help in investigation of outbreaks of emerging zoonotic agents concerned with public health and developing better control strategies.

Other projects

» The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the project for pollution abatement of river Nag at Nagpur.

• • The project – under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) – will be operationalised at a cost of more than Rs 1925 crore.

» ICMR – Centre for Research, Management & Control of Haemoglobinopathies:

The Prime Minister inaugurated the Centre for Research, Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies, in Nagpur.

• • The prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease in the Vidarbha region, especially in the tribal population is comparatively high. The disease along with other haemoglobinopathies like thalassemia and HbE causes a significant disease burden in the country.
  • To address this issue, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the ‘Centre for Research, Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur’, in February 2019.
  • The centre is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and research facilities including bio- banking and proteomics facilities, which will enable India to conduct pathbreaking research on the disease.
  • This centre of medical excellence is dedicated to haemoglobinopathies, which are inherited disorders of haemoglobin and include β-thalassemia syndromes and sickle cell disease, amongst others.
  • The centre is envisaged to become a Centre of Excellence for innovative research, technology development, and human resource development, in the field of haemoglobinopathies, in the country.

» Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology:

The Prime Minister also dedicated the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur to the Nation.

• • The institute aims to develop skilled human resources to meet the requirements of the polymer & allied industries.