PM Modi to declare Gujarat’s Modhera as India’s 1st solar-powered village
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch development projects worth ₹14,500 crore during a visit to Gujarat from October 9 to 11, followed by to Madhya Pradesh on October 11, the PM’s Office said in a statement on Saturday. Gujarat is set to go to polls later this year.
During the visit, the PM will also inaugurate and lay foundation stones of multiple projects at Modhera in Mehsana on Sunday, where Modhera will also be declared as India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village, the statement said. The project realises Modi’s vision of solarisation of Sun Temple town of Modhera. The project involved developing a ground-mounted solar power plant and more than 1,300 rooftop solar systems on residential and government buildings, all integrated with a battery energy storage system (BESS), it added.
People will save 60% to 100% in electricity bills with this project, the Gujarat government release said. “Use of solar power has increased prosperity amongst citizens. Power bills were above ₹1000 and have almost reduced to zero today. Solar panels have been installed at all feasible houses, free of cost. In case of excess power, we earn extra income too,” according to Jatanben Thakor, sarpanch of Modhera.
As per the 2011 census, Modhera village in Becharaji Taluka has a population of 6,373 people.
On Monday, he will launch various projects at Amod in Bharuch, Ahmedabad and Jamnagar, and will travel to Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain the next day.
This will be followed by inauguration of Mahakal Lok, which will provide modern amenities to pilgrims visiting the Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh.
Referring to Mahakal Lok, the statement said that the first phase of the project would help enrich the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world-class modern amenities.The project aims to decongest the entire area and put special emphasis on conservation and restoration of heritage structures.
Under the project, the temple precinct will be expanded nearly seven times.The total cost of the entire project is around ₹850 crore, the statement said. The existing footfall of the temple, which is currently around 1.5 crore a year, is expected to double, it added.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over ₹8,000 crore in Amod, Bharuch, including the foundation stone of a dedicated Bulk Drugs Park at Jambusar.
In 2021-22 financial year, bulk drugs accounted for over 60% of pharmaceutical imports. The project will play a key role in ensuring import substitution and helping make India self-reliant, statement said.