Prime Minister  Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Sunday. At around 11:15 am, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for several key projects and hand over the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Army, at Chennai.  This Battle Tank has been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by CVRDE, DRDO along with 15 academic institutions, 8 labs and several MSMEs. At around 3:30 pm, Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone and dedicate various projects to the nation, at Kochi. These projects will add crucial momentum to the growth trajectory of these states and help hasten the pace of realizing full development potential.

In Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension, completed at a cost of Rs 3,770 crore, and commission the passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar. This over 9 kilometer long extension will link North Chennai with the Airport and Central Railway Station.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the fourth Railway line between Chennai Beach and Attipattu. This 22.1 kilometer section, laid at a cost of over Rs 293 crore, traverses through Chennai and Thiruvallur Districts and will ease out traffic from Chennai Port.  
Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Railway Electrification of single line section in Villupuram – Cuddalore – Mayiladuthurai – Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur. The electrification of this 228 kilometer route will enable free flow of traffic without the need for a change of traction between Chennai Egmore and Kanyakumari and would result in saving Rs 14.61 lakh per day on fuel cost.

Besides, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the extension, renovation and modernization of the Grand Anicut Canal System. The modernization of this canal will be taken up at a cost of Rs 2,640 crore. He  will also lay the foundation stone for the Discovery Campus of IIT Madras. The Campus will be built at Thaiyur near Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 1000 crore in the first phase, over an area of 2 lakh square meter.

During his visit to Kerala, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project (PDPP) of BPCL. The complex will produce Acrylates, Acrylic Acid and Oxo-Alcohol, which are at present predominantly imported, and is expected to result in saving of about Rs 3700 to 4000 crore per annum in foreign exchange. Constructed at a capital cost of about Rs 6000 crore, the PDPP Complex has been set up close to the refinery to achieve integration of feedstock supply, utilities, off-sites and other facilities. He will also dedicate to the nation the Ro-Ro Vessels at Willingdon Islands, Cochin.

Apart from this, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the International Cruise Terminal ‘Sagarika’ at Cochin Port. Situated at the Ernakulam Wharf on Willingdon Island, it is India’s first full-fledged international cruise terminal. It has state-of-the-art facilities and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 25.72 crore.

Mr Modi will also inaugurate the Marine Engineering Training Institute, Vigyana Sagar, at Cochin Shipyard Ltd. In addition to it, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of Reconstruction of South Coal Berth at Cochin Port.