Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Pune in Maharashtra on Thursday to lay the foundation stone worth over Rs 22,600 crore.

He will inaugurate the Pune Metro section of District Court to Swargate which will mark the completion of the Pune Metro Rail Project (Phase-1). The cost of the underground section between the District Court to Swargate is around Rs 1,810 crore.

Further, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for the Swargate-Katraj Extension of Pune Metro Phase-1 to be developed at the cost of around Rs 2,950 crore. This southern extension of around 5.46 km is completely underground with three stations namely Market Yard, Padmavati and Katraj.

PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Memorial of the Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule’s First Girls’ School at Bhidewada. He will also address the rally at the SP College ground in Pune.

In line with his commitment to make India self-reliant in the field of Supercomputing technology, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation three PARAM Rudra Supercomputers worth around Rs 130 crore, developed indigenously under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

These supercomputers have been deployed in Pune, Delhi and Kolkata to facilitate pioneering scientific research.

Giant Metre Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune will leverage the supercomputer to explore Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and other astronomical phenomena. Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) in Delhi will enhance research in fields like material science and atomic physics. SN Bose Centre in Kolkata will drive advanced research in areas such as physics, cosmology, and earth sciences.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a High-Performance Computing (HPC) system tailored for weather and climate research. This project represents an investment of Rs 850 crore, marking a significant leap in India's computational capabilities for meteorological applications.

Located at two key sites, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune and the National Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF) in Noida, this HPC system has extraordinary computing power.

The new HPC systems are named 'Arka' and 'Arunika,' reflecting their connection to the Sun. These high-resolution models will significantly enhance the accuracy and lead time of predictions related to tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation, thunderstorms, hailstorms, heat waves, droughts, and other critical weather phenomena.

The Prime Minister will launch and dedicate to the nation various initiatives in the petroleum and natural gas sector worth Rs 10,400 crore. These initiatives will focus on energy, infrastructure, safety and convenience of truck and cab drivers, cleaner mobility and a sustainable future.

To enable ease of driving, the Prime Minister will launch the Way Side Amenities for truck drivers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra; Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab; Songadh, Gujarat; Belagavi and Bangalore Rural, Karnataka.

With the objective of developing modern facilities for a comfortable journey break in one place designed to cater to the needs of truckers and cab drivers during their long journeys, wayside amenities such as affordable boarding and lodging facilities, clean toilets, safe parking space, cooking area, WiFi, Gym, etc. are being developed at a cost of around Rs 2,170 crore at 1,000 retail outlets.

To develop multiple energy choices like petrol, diesel, CNG, EV, CBG, and Ethanol blended petrol (EBP), at one retail outlet, the Prime Minister will launch Energy Stations. Nearly 4,000 energy stations would be developed over Golden Quadrilateral, East-West and North-South Corridors and other major highways over the next five years at a cost of around Rs 6000 crore.

Energy stations will help provide seamless mobility through the provision of alternate fuels under one roof to energy-seeking customers.

To facilitate a smooth transition to Green Energy, De-carbonisation and Net Zero Emission and to reduce the range anxiety of Electric Vehicle drivers, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation 500 EV charging facilities. Further, 10,000 EV Charging stations (EVCS) are being targeted to be developed by FY 2025 at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore.

The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation 20 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) stations across the country including 3 in Maharashtra. To promote the adoption of clean fuel such as LNG for long-distance transportation, 50 LNG Fuel Stations will be developed in various states of the country by Oil and Gas companies at a cost of around Rs 500 crore.

The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation 1500 E20 (20 per cent ethanol blended) petrol retail outlets worth around Rs 225 crore.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Solapur Airport which would significantly improve connectivity, making Solapur more accessible to tourists, business travellers and investors. The existing terminal Building of Solapur has been revamped to serve around 4.1 lakh passengers annually.

The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation Bidkin Industrial Area, a transformative project covering an expansive 7,855 acres under the National Industrial Corridor Development Program, situated 20 km south of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra.

The project developed under Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor holds immense potential as a vibrant economic hub in the Marathwada region.

The union government has approved this project with an overall project cost of over Rs 6,400 crore for development in 3 phases.