PM Modi to inaugurate National Games in Goa on October 26, visit Saibaba Temple in Maharashtra's Shirdi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Maharashtra and Goa on October 26 to unveil development initiatives and inaugurate the National Games.

He will inaugurate the 37th National Games being held in Goa for the first time.

The Prime Minister will reach Shirdi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra around 1 pm and perform "pooja and darshan" at Saibaba Samadhi Temple.

He will also inaugurate the new Darshan Queue Complex at the temple.

At around 2 pm, the Prime Minister will perform the Jal Pujan of Nilwande Dam and dedicate a canal network of the dam to the nation.

At around 3:15 pm, the Prime Minister will attend a public programme in Shirdi, where he will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth about Rs 7500 crore in sectors like health, rail, road and oil and gas.

The new Darshan Queue complex at Shirdi, which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, is a state-of-the-art modern mega building envisaged to provide comfortable waiting areas for the devotees, a PMO release said.

It is equipped with several waiting halls with a cumulative seating capacity of more than 10,000 devotees.

It has provision of air-conditioned public amenities like cloakrooms, toilets, booking counters, prasad counters, information centre.

The foundation stone of this new Darshan Queue Complex was laid by the Prime Minister in October, 2018.

Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the left bank (85km) canal network of the Nilwande Dam. It will benefit 182 villages from seven tehsils (6 in Ahmednagar district and 1 from Nashik district) by facilitating pipe distribution networks of water. The idea of Nilwande Dam was first conceived in 1970. It is being developed at a cost of about Rs 5177 crore.

During the public programme, the Prime Minister will launch the 'Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana'.

"The Yojna will benefit more than 86 lakh beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana in Maharashtra, by providing an additional amount of Rs 6000 per year to them," the release said.

Prime Minister will inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects including Ayush Hospital at Ahmednagar Civil Hospital; electrification of Kurduwadi-Latur Road railway section (186 Km); third and fourth railway line connecting Jalgaon to Bhusaval (24.46 km); four laning of Sangli to Borgaon section of NH-166 (Package-I); and additional facilities at Manmad Terminal of Indian Oil corporation Limited.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Maternal and Child Health Wing at Ahmednagar Civil Hospital.

During the programme, the Prime Minister will also distribute Ayushman cards and Svamitva cards to beneficiaries.

During his visit to Goa, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the National Games at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa. He will also address athletes taking part in the Games.

The Games will be held from October 26 to November 9 and more than 10,000 athletes from across the country will compete in over 43 sports disciplines across 28 venues.

The release said that the sports culture in the country has undergone a sea change under the leadership of PM Modi.

"With the help of continuous government support, the performance of athletes has witnessed tremendous improvement at the international level," it said.

National Games are being held in the country recognizing the significance of holding national-level tournaments for identifying top performers and further enhancing the popularity of sports, the release said. (ANI)