Shimla. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of a bulk drug park in Una district during his visit to Himachal Pradesh. He also dedicated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)- Una to the nation and flagged off the new Vande Bharat Express train from Amb Andora in Una district to New Delhi.
Modi had laid the foundation stone of IIT-Una in 2017. Assembly elections are going to be held in Himachal Pradesh at the end of the year. Modi laid the foundation stone of the Bulk Drug Park at Haroli, which will be built at a cost of over Rs 1,900 crore. This park will help in reducing dependence on import of APIs (compounds responsible for the medicinal properties of the drug). This is expected to attract investment of about Rs 10,000 crore and provide employment to over 20,000 people.
Earlier, the Prime Minister flagged off the new Vande Bharat Express. This is the fourth Vande Bharat Express train introduced in the country and is an improved version as compared to the earlier, which is much lighter as well as capable of achieving faster speeds in shorter duration. This train reaches the speed of 100 kmph in just 52 seconds.
The Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on his arrival at Pekhubela Helipad in Una. Modi will address a public meeting at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Una. He will also address another public meeting at Chogan Maidan in Chamba district after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of various projects in the electoral state. This is Prime Minister Modi’s ninth visit to Himachal Pradesh in the last five years.
