Patna, June 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 22 major development projects worth Rs 5,736 crore in Bihar on Friday.

He arrived in Bihar’s Siwan district amid tight security and grand public enthusiasm.

A public meeting was held at Jasoli, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and several Union Ministers were also present.

Speaking at the rally, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that multiple crore projects are being launched or inaugurated, which include two new train services and several infrastructure, sanitation, and energy initiatives.

“The Central Government has done a lot of work for Bihar. The projects inaugurated today will give a big boost to the state’s development,” CM Nitish Kumar said.

The CM praised PM Modi’s leadership, saying: “In the past, people could not even step out of their homes in the evening. Today, Bihar is progressing. We have worked hard for women’s upliftment and given them reservations. The Centre’s decision to conduct a caste-based census is historic. Bihar will not lag behind anymore.”

PM Modi arrived via Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) and held a roadshow in an open jeep en route to the venue.

Massive crowds lined the roads, showering flowers and chanting slogans like “Modi Zindabad” and “Welcome Modi Ji”.

People captured the moment on mobile phones while the PM responded warmly by waving and smiling.

On stage, BJP Bihar president Dilip Jaiswal welcomed the Prime Minister with flowers and a shawl.

Jaiswal said, “The moment I was waiting for has arrived,” expressing the BJP’s excitement over PM Modi’s visit.

This is PM Modi’s fifth visit to Bihar in 2025, signalling the importance of the state in the NDA’s electoral strategy and also underlining the government’s development focus ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The back-to-back developmental announcements are seen as a counter to the opposition’s criticism over governance and law and order issues in Bihar.

–IANS

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