Itanagar: rime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled infrastructure projects worth Rs 5,125.37 crore in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday. From a function at the Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar, he virtually laid the foundation stones for two major hydropower projects in Shi Yomi district, and a convention centre in Tawang. The Tato-I project, with a capacity of 186 mw, will be developed jointly by the Arunachal Pradesh government and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) at Rs 1,750 crore. It is expected to generate around 802 million units of electricity annually. The 240-mw Heo project will also be developed by the state government and NEEPCO at Rs 1,939 crore. It is expected to produce 1,000 million units of electricity each year. These projects, to be developed on the Yarjep river, are part of a larger effort to expand Arunachal Pradesh's hydroelectric capacity, contributing significantly to regional energy security, officials said.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for a convention centre in Tawang, to be built under the PM-DevINE scheme at Rs 145.37 crore. With a capacity to host over 1,500 people, it will meet global standards and support the tourism and cultural potential of the region, they said. The PM also launched several other infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,290 crore, catering to various sectors, including connectivity, health and fire safety, they added. Among them is a Rs 217.19-crore State Cancer Institute in Itanagar, a Rs 69.35-crore road in Upper Siang district, which will connect the remote village of Peki Modi for the first time, and a Rs 96.26-crore road from Amuli to Athunli via Leyaka Pass in Dibang Valley. The PM also laid the foundation stones for working women's hostels in 26 districts, to be developed at Rs 187.98 crore, nine new fire stations that will be built at Rs 40.50 crore, and the upgradation of the 2nd Armed Police Battalion at Aalo for Rs 39.89 crore. He also laid the foundation stones for 530 new ministerial bungalows and staff quarters across 23 districts, for which Rs 420 crore will be spent, accommodation facilities for officers in all districts at Rs 420 crore, and residential buildings in the newly created districts of Bichom, Keyi Panyor, and Lepa Rada, to be developed at Rs 25 crore. In addition, foundation stones were also laid for mini secretariats in the three new districts, to be developed at a cost of Rs 25 crore. The PM said the projects he unveiled were an example of "double benefits" of the "double-engine" government. "Arunachal is moving forward. The new power projects announced today will make the state a major power producer, create thousands of jobs, and provide affordable electricity," he said. "Be it ease of education, ease of business, ease of travel, or ease of treatment, our double-engine government is working to make life easier for every citizen," he said. Governor KT Parnaik, Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were among those present at the programme.