PM Modi to address ‘One World TB Summit’ in Varanasi today

On World Tuberculosis Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the ‘One Global TB Conference’ at the Rudrakash Convention Centre in Varanasi on Friday. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Stop TB Partnership are organising this conference. The Stop TB Partnership, founded in 2001, is a United Nations-hosted organisation that raises the voices of individuals, communities, and nations affected by tuberculosis.

At the ceremony, the Prime Minister will announce many measures, including the TB-Mukt Panchayat programme, the official pan-India deployment of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT), a Family-centric TB care model, and the publication of India’s Annual TB Report 2023. The PM will also recognise certain states, territories, and districts for their efforts to eradicate tuberculosis.

During the End TB Summit in New Delhi in March 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged for India to meet TB-related SDG objectives by 2025, five years ahead of schedule. According to the official announcement, the One Global TB Summit will give a chance to further reflect on the aims as the country pushes forward to fulfil its TB eradication objectives.

It will also provide a chance to share lessons learned from National TB Eradication Programs. The summit will be attended by international delegations from over 30 nations. At the function at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, the Prime Minister will dedicate and lay the foundation stone for projects valued over Rs 1780 crore.

Throughout the previous nine years, the Prime Minister has placed a special emphasis on reshaping the environment of his parliamentary seat Varanasi and improving the quality of life for residents of the city and surrounding areas. This is seen to be another step in the right path.

The Prime Minister will lay the groundwork for the Passenger Ropeway from Varanasi Cantt station to Godowlia. The project is expected to cost roughly Rs. 645 crores. The ropeway system will be 3.75 kilometres long and will include five stops. This will make it easier for tourists, pilgrims, and Varanasi residents to move around.

The Prime Minister will lay the groundwork for 55 MLD sewage treatment facilities at Bhagwanpur as part of the Namami Ganga Project, which would cost more than Rs. 300 crores. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for Phases 2 and 3 of the Sigra Stadium reconstruction project as part of the Khelo India Plan.

PM Modi will also lay the groundwork for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s LPG bottling facility in Isarwar village, Sewapuri. The Prime Minister will also lay the groundwork for a primary health centre in Bharthara village, as well as a floating jetty with changing rooms, among other projects.

PM Modi will dedicate 19 drinking water initiatives under the Jal Jeevan Program, which would benefit over 3 lakh people in 63 Gram Panchayats. The Prime Minister will also lay the groundwork for 59 drinking water programmes under the Mission to further develop the rural drinking water infrastructure.

Grading, sorting, and processing of fruits and vegetables would be possible for farmers, exporters, and dealers in and around Varanasi at an integrated pack house being built in Karkhiyaon. At the occasion, the Prime Minister will dedicate this project to the country. It will aid in the expansion of agricultural exports from Varanasi and the surrounding region.

He will dedicate numerous initiatives under the Varanasi Smart City Project, including the rebuilding of Rajghat and Mahmoorganj government schools, the beautifying of internal city roadways, and the redevelopment of the city’s six parks and ponds.

The Prime Minister will also dedicate various other infrastructure projects including the ATC tower at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport; the 2 MW solar power plant at water works premises, Bhelupur; 800 KW solar power plant at Konia Pumping Station; the new Community Health Center at Sarnath; infrastructure improvement of Industrial estate at Chandpur; rejuvenation of temples of Kedareshwar, Vishweshwar and Omkareshwar Khand Parikrama among others.