Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Pune city in Maharashtra on August 1 to lay the foundation stone of various development projects and to receive the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. During his visit, he will first visit the famous Dagdusheth Mandir for darshan and pooja.
At 11.45 am, PM Modi will be honored with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award, which is given by the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust to recognize individuals who have made remarkable contributions to the progress and development of the nation. The award, established in 1983, is presented annually on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, an eminent freedom fighter.
The event will see the presence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar as the chief guest. Other dignitaries including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, and Sushil Kumar Shinde, who is also a trustee, will attend the award ceremony.
Following the award ceremony, at 12.45 pm, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several development projects. He will flag off Metro trains marking the inauguration of services on completed sections of the two corridors of Pune Metro Phase I, connecting important locations of Pune city like Shivaji Nagar, Civil Court, Pune Municipal Corporation office, Pune RTO, and Pune Railway Station.
Additionally, PM Modi will inaugurate the Waste to Energy Plant under the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Developed at a cost of about Rs 300 crore, this plant will convert about 2.5 lakh MT of waste annually into electricity.
Further emphasizing the government’s commitment to providing housing for all, PM Modi will hand over more than 1,280 houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) by PCMC. He will also hand over more than 2,650 PMAY houses constructed by the Pune Municipal Corporation. Additionally, the foundation stone for around 1,190 PMAY houses to be constructed by the PCMC and more than 6,400 houses constructed by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority will be laid during the visit.
The Prime Minister’s visit comes at a time when Pune’s car market is witnessing a shift, with buyers exploring diverse brands beyond Maruti, including Hyundai and Volkswagen. The surge in used car sales in Maharashtra is also noteworthy, with CARS24, a prominent AutoTech Company, witnessing a significant rise in sales.
However, amidst the ongoing heavy rains and IMD advisory, the Himachal Pradesh tourism sector is struggling, causing concerns among tourists and impacting the revenue of hotels, guest houses, and homestays in the region.
Furthermore, due to technical problems, Pune citizens faced difficulties while trying to pay their pending property tax online on the last day to avail the discount. The Pune Municipal Corporation’s website and payment system at PMC’s centers stopped working, leaving citizens stranded.
In other news, the newly elected executive committee of the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ) received congratulations from Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil. The Guardian Minister assured his commitment to address the issues faced by journalists in the region.
