Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 2 inaugurated and laid foundation stones for a wide range of development projects worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi. In a significant push towards development in his parliamentary constituency, PM Modi also released the 20th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.
Under this instalment, Rs 21,000 crore will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of over 9.7 crore farmers across the country. He also distributed more than 7,400 assistive aids to ‘divyangjan’ and elderly beneficiaries.
Starting his address with ‘Om Namah Parvati Pataye Har Har Mahadev’, PM Modi said, “Today, I have come to Kashi for the first time since ‘Operation Sindoor’. On April 22, when the Pahalgam terror attack happened, 26 innocent people were killed brutally. The grief of those children and women deeply pained me.”
“At that time, I was praying to Baba Vishwanath that he give strength to the people to go through this pain and grief. I promised my daughters that I would take revenge for their ‘Sindoor’, and today, I fulfilled it all due to the blessings of Mahadev. I dedicate the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’ at the feet of Mahadev,” he added.
Addressing the gathering, the PM Modi said, “Watching the divine scenes of Shiva devotees carrying Ganga water across Kashi during the auspicious month of Sawan is truly special… I also wanted to offer my prayers at Baba Vishwanath and Markandeya Mahadev during Sawan; however, people would have faced problems if I had gone there, and that is why I bow down to Bholenath and Maa Ganga from here only.”
