PM Modi on two-day visit to Varanasi from today

New Delhi, Dec 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two day visit to UP’s Varanasi from December 13, a statement said here on Sunday.
On Monday, the PM will visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple and offer prayers, then, he will inaugurate phase 1 of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crore, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“A total of 23 buildings will be inaugurated in phase 1 of the project. They will provide a variety of facilities to the pilgrims visiting Kashi Vishwanath Temple, including, yatri suvidha kendras, tourist facilitation centre, vedic kendra, Mumukshu bhavan, city museum, viewing gallery, food court, among others,” the release said.
The PMO said that the PM’s vision was to ensure that all heritage structures be preserved during the course of development of the project, and added that this foresight came handy when, during the process of destruction of the old properties, more than 40 ancient temples were rediscovered.
These temples have been restored and beautified, while ensuring that there is no change in the original structure, it said.
“The scale of the project was such that the project is now spread over a massive area of about 5 lakh square feet, whereas earlier premises was limited to just around 3000 square feet. Despite the Covid pandemic, the work on the project has been completed as per the planned schedule,” the PMO said.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by the PM on March 8, 2019, it added.
He will also visit Kaal Bhairav Temple, and later witness Ganga aarti while on board a ‘Ro-Ro’ vessel in the evening.
Modi will attend the 98th anniversary celebrations of Sadguru Sadafaldeo Vihangam Yog Sansthan at Swarved Mahamandir, the next day, as per the PMO.

The PM will also participate in a conclave of Chief Ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along with Deputy CMs from Bihar and Nagaland, the release said.
The conclave will provide an opportunity to share governance related best practices and is in line with the PM’s vision of furthering team India spirit.