Mahabubnagar, Telangana:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a National Turmeric Council during his visit to Telangana on Sunday.
“Post-Covid, awareness about turmeric has increased and global demand has also increased. Nowadays, it is important to professionally pay more attention and take initiative in the turmeric value chain from production to export… Looking at the need of turmeric farmers and future opportunities, the Center has decided to set up a National Turmeric Council,” Prime Minister Modi said during a meeting in Mahabubnagar state.
India is a major producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric.
Especially farmers in Telangana produce turmeric in large quantities. Nizamabad, Nirmal and Jagtial districts are known for their vast cultivation of turmeric. The finger and bulb varieties of turmeric are exported abroad from here apart from catering to domestic and commercial needs.
In addition to turmeric, there are shelves for tea, coffee, spices, jute, coconut, among others. These boards help farmers market their produce, besides taking care of their other needs.
In the southern state of Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of several development projects worth over Rs 13,500 crore, in key sectors such as roads, railways, petroleum and natural gas and higher education.
During the programme, the Prime Minister also suspended a train service – Hyderabad (Kacheguda) – Raichur – Hyderabad (Kacheguda) train service from Krishna station – through video conferencing. The train service will connect Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar and Narayanpet districts in Telangana with Raichur district in Karnataka. The service will provide rail connectivity for the first time to several new areas in the backward districts of Mahabubnagar and Narayanpet, serving students, daily commuters, laborers and the local handloom industry in the region.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of major road projects that are part of the Nagpur – Vijayawada Economic Corridor. The projects include – a 108 km long ‘four-lane access controlled Greenfield highway from Warangal to Khammam section of NH-163G’ and a 90 km long ‘four-lane access controlled Greenfield highway from Khammam to Vijayawada section of NH-163G. These road projects will be developed at a total cost of around Rs 6,400 crore.
The projects will reduce the travel distance between Warangal and Khammam by about 14 km; and between Khammam and Vijayawada by about 27 km.
“The festival season has started. Navratri is about to begin but by passing the Women Reservation Bill in Parliament, we have captured the emotion of worshiping ‘Shakti’ for it… Today in Telangana many projects launched…I congratulate Telangana for the projects worth Rs.13,500 crore…Many such road connectivity projects have been launched which will bring tremendous changes in the lives of people…Through the Nagpur-Vijayawada corridor, commuting to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra will become easy. This would boost trade, tourism and industry in these three states,” Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the gathering.
PM Modi also dedicated a road project to the nation – ‘four lanes of the 59 km Suryapet to Khammam section of NH-365BB’. The project, built at a cost of around Rs 2,460 crore, is part of Hyderabad – Visakhapatnam Corridor and is being developed under Bharatmala Pariyojana. It will also provide better connectivity to Khammam district and coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.
During the visit, the Prime Minister also inaugurated ’37 km Jaklair – Krishna New Railway Line’. The new railway section, built at a cost of over Rs 500 crore, brings areas of backward Narayanpet district onto the railway map for the first time.
The program also saw the foundation stone laid and the nation committed to major oil and gas pipeline projects. Prime Minister dedicated to the ‘Hassan-Cherlapalli LPG Pipeline Project’. The LPG pipeline, built at a cost of around Rs 2,170 crore, from Hassan in Karnataka to Cherlapalli (suburb of Hyderabad), provides a safe, cost-efficient and environment-friendly mode of LPG transportation and distribution in the region.
The foundation stone of the ‘Multi-Product Petroleum Pipeline of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) from Krishnapatnam to Hyderabad (Malkapur)’ was laid. The 425-km pipeline will be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,940 crore. The pipeline will provide a safe, faster, efficient and environmentally friendly means of transporting petroleum products to the region.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated ‘five new buildings of the University of Hyderabad’ i.e. the School of Economics; School of Mathematics and Statistics; School of Management Studies; Lecture hall complex – III; and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication (annex). The modernization of infrastructure at the University of Hyderabad is a step towards providing improved facilities and amenities to the students and faculty.
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