Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to West Bengal, his second trip to the state since the BJP returned to power.
During the visit, he participated in West Bengal Day celebrations at Tarakeswar, led the International Day of Yoga event on Kolkata’s Red Road and dedicated three indigenously built naval vessels to the nation.
He also launched and laid the foundation stones for several projects, including railway schemes worth nearly Rs 590 crore, a 300-bed railway hospital in Howrah and 49 rural road projects.
In the agriculture sector, Modi introduced the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in West Bengal and launched initiatives under the Digital Agriculture Mission. He also released over Rs 18,880 crore under the PM-Kisan scheme to more than 9.4 crore farmers across the country, including over Rs 900 crore for more than 45 lakh farmers in the state.
Modi also announced several initiatives in fisheries and animal husbandry, including a modern fishing harbour at Fraserganj, a fish market in Birbhum and eastern India’s first goat semen research laboratory in Nadia.
Ahead of the visit, he said the West Bengal trip was significant as it coincided with West Bengal Day celebrations, held in Tarakeswar, Hooghly, an area linked to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
At Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, he later dedicated three indigenously built warships — INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray — constructed at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers with over 75% indigenous content and participation from more than 200 MSMEs.
The Prime Minister said the commissioning highlights India’s growing shipbuilding strength and the maritime sector’s potential to generate large-scale jobs, while also noting the rise in defence exports. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the event a milestone in strengthening India’s maritime capabilities and advancing Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
