Prime Minister Narendra Modi will gift two major projects to tribal stronghold poverty-hit Bastar region on his scheduled visit to Chhattisgarh on May 9, officials said on Saturday. Modi will witness two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) signing ceremonies for an Ultra-Mega Steel Plant at village Dilmili in Dantewada district and extension of the second phase of Rowghat-Jagdalpur 140 km railway line.
Both the projects will come up in leftist insurgency-infested areas and State Government officials claim that the projects would accelerate the pace of development in vastly-populated tribal areas. The total investment on the two major projects will be around Rs24,000 crore and it would help in a rapid socio-economic transformation of sprawling Bastar region.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh said, “May 9 will be an historic day in the annals of Chhattisgarh and Bastar tribal region when in the presence of Prime Minister Modi the two major MoUs will be inked”. He added both the projects would herald a new era of development in Bastar area. Detailing about the projects, Singh added that Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts in Bastar Revenue Division will get benefits of being connected to railway track. The Bastar region will be connected to Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg and in turn with the entire country through railway line.
“A new world of opportunities will open for the Bastar residents. Health facilities, education and business will get a lot of scope. Iron ore can be transported easily. The project will be completed in a four-year period. Chief Minister said an Ultra-Modern Mega Steel plant will come up at village Dilmili. The estimated annual production is likely to be three million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
The share of SAIl will be 74 per cent and share of NMDC will be 26 per cent. The total investment will be around Rs18,000 crore in Chhattisgarh and roughly 10,000 people will be employed directly and indirectly by the project. Allied projects also will come up in the region. He revealed that apart from this, NMDC will invest Rs4,000 crore in Bastar area and the region will catch up with the mainstream with an investment of Rs24,000 crore in the near future.