Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 11 dedicated to the nation, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth around Rs 10,800 crore in Kochi, marking a major push to infrastructure, energy and industrial growth in Kerala.
Speaking after inaugurating the projects in Ernakulam, PM Modi said the initiatives together valued at nearly Rs 11,000 crore were being offered “with humility” to the people of Kerala and would help accelerate economic growth and employment. Among the key projects launched was the foundation stone for a major polypropylene unit at the Kochi Refinery operated by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
The upcoming facility is expected to produce around four lakh tonnes of polypropylene annually, strengthening India’s petrochemical manufacturing capacity and supporting downstream industries.
In the transport sector, PM Modi inaugurated two significant national highway projects, the six-laning of the Thalappady–Chengala stretch of National Highway 66 and the six-laning of the Kozhikode Bypass from Vengalam to Ramanattukara.
The projects are expected to ease traffic congestion along Kerala’s coastal corridor and improve connectivity across northern parts of the state. Highlighting India’s economic transformation, PM Modi said the country has emerged as a major global manufacturing hub in sectors ranging from Artificial Intelligence to semiconductors.
Sustaining this growth, he noted, requires significant energy capacity, particularly from renewable sources. As part of the green energy push, he Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a 50-MW floating solar power project in Kerala, aimed at boosting the state’s renewable energy capacity.
