Kurnool, 16 Oct

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the 21st century belongs to 140 crore Indians and that the country will become "Viksit Bharat" (Developed India) by 2047.

Hailing the country's Make in India ecosystem, he said "we saw the might" of homemade "things" in Operation Sindoor, the military offensive launched at crossborder terror launchpads in Pakistan, post the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.

"By 2047, centenary year of Independence, Viksit Bharat will happen," the PM said in his address after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 13,000 crore.

"I can say confidently that 21st century is going to be India's," Modi added.

The PM further said Andhra Pradesh now has visionary leadership in Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan and that there was full cooperation from the Central government to the state.

He said with Google's AI Hub investment, a new international sub-sea gateway will be developed in which several countries' under-sea cable systems are linked. They will come up to Visakhapatnam on the eastern shore.

"In the last 16 months, the vehicle of development is moving very fast in Andhra Pradesh and unprecedented progress is taking place in the double engine government," he said.

He said Andhra Pradesh is not only a land of self-respect and culture, but also the hub of science and innovation.

Several projects which were either inaugurated or laid foundation stone for today, will improve connectivity, support industries and better improve people' lives in the state, he further said.

Modi alleged that 11 years ago when Congress was in power at the Centre then electricity consumption per person average was less than 1,000 units. Country also faced challenges of blackout then and there were no electricity poles in our villages.

Earlier, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for multiple projects worth Rs 13,430 crore here spreading across the state.

The projects span across key sectors such as industry, power transmission, roads, railways, defence manufacturing, and petroleum and natural gas.

He laid the foundation for the Transmission System Strengthening at Kurnool-III Pooling Station at an investment of over Rs 2,880 crore.

Likewise, he laid the foundation stones for the Orvakal Industrial Area in Kurnool and the Kopparthy Industrial Area in Kadapa, with a total investment of over Rs 4,920 crore.

Jointly developed by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) and Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (APIIC), these modern multi-sectoral industrial hubs feature plug-and-play infrastructure and a walk-to-work concept.

These hubs are expected to attract Rs 21,000 crore in investments and generate approximately one lakh jobs, bolstering industrial development and global competitiveness in the Rayalaseema region of the southern state.

The PM laid the foundation stone for the six-lane greenfield highway from Sabbavaram to Sheelanagar at a cost of over Rs 960 crore. Further, the PM inaugurated the four-laning of Pileru-Kalur section road, widening from Kadapa - Nellore border to CS Puram and the four-lane Rail over Bridge (ROB) between Gudivada and Nujella Railway Stations on NH-165.

Further, Modi laid the foundation for and inaugurated railway projects worth over Rs 1,200 crore.

He laid the foundation stone for the Kothavalasa-Vizianagaram Fourth Railway Line and the Rail Flyover between Pendurthi and Simhachalam North.

He inaugurated the doubling of the Kottavalasa-Boddavara section and the Shimiliguda-Gorapur section.

In the energy sector, the PM inaugurated Srikakulam-Angul Natural Gas Pipeline of GAIL India Limited, which was built at a cost of around Rs 1,730 crore and stretched around 124 km in Andhra Pradesh and 298 km in Odisha.

Similarly, he inaugurated Indian Oil's 60 TMTPA (Thousand Metric Tonnes per annum) LPG bottling plant at Chittoor, established at an investment of around Rs 200 crore.

Further, PM Modi inaugurated the Advanced Night Vision Products Factory at Nimmaluru, Krishna district, established by Bharat Electronics Limited at an investment of around Rs 360 crore.

The PM inaugurated and laid these foundations after returning to Kurnool following a visit to Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Varla Devasthanam at Srisailam in Nandyal district.

"PM Modi performed Rudrabhishekam with Panchamuralu (a sacred mixture made of five ingredients-cow milk, cow curd, cow ghee, honey, and sugar)," at the temple, BJP sources said.

Chief Minister Naidu and Pawan Kalyan accompanied him to the shrine.

Later, PM Modi visited Sree Shivaji Spoorthi Kendra, a memorial complex which features a meditation hall with the models of four iconic forts -- Pratapgad, Rajgad, Raigad, and Shivneri--positioned at four corners. In the middle stands a statue of the legendary king Chhatrapati Shivaji in deep meditation.

Run by Sree Shivaji Memorial Committee, the meditation hall was set up in the temple town to commemorate the historic visit of Chhatrapati Shivaji to the sacred shrine in 1677.