New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri presided over a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee ‘DISHA’ on Monday and reviewed a slew of developmental projects undertaken in the city.

He also hailed the holy town’s emergence as the ‘model city’ of growth and development.

During the meeting, attended by officials as well as public representatives, the progress of development works was reviewed, and public feedback was also taken.

Notably, the DISHA committees were constituted by the Centre, under the chairmanship of concerned Parliamentarians, to monitor the implementation of key Central Government schemes and programmes at the grassroots level.

After taking stock of developmental programmes, the Union Minister took to his social media handle on X to inform about the progress of finished and ongoing projects.

“From 2014 until now, 486 projects worth Rs 35,155 crore have been completed in Varanasi, and work is underway on 125 additional projects worth Rs 16,338 crore,” he informed in a post on X.

Hardeep Puri said that Kashi was emerging as a model city of development, and extensive discussions took place during the DISHA meeting to enhance the developmental works in the city.

“Now, there will be eager anticipation for the next DISHA meeting, so that with better coordination, the pace of this development can be accelerated further,” he said.

He further stated that the stream of development was flowing in Kashi, just like the uninterrupted flow of Mother Ganga. He emphasised Kashi’s brush with modernity while retaining its ancient character and added that a bright future laced with rich heritage awaits the city’s destiny.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several development projects worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore related to areas such as education, health services, tourism, urban development, cultural heritage, etc, in Varanasi, adding to the grandeur of the modern and divine Kashi.

–IANS

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