Prayagraj, Dec 13 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Prayagraj on Friday to oversee preparations for the grand Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Upon arrival at the airport, he was welcomed by Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Prime Minister proceeded to Arail Ghat, where he met saints and performed a ceremonial puja at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. PM Modi received a warm welcome from sadhus and saints and boarded the Nishadraj Cruise to reach Sangam from Arail. Thousands of people gathered to witness the event, with crowds lining the roads from GT Jawahar Chowk to the pandal on the Sangam bank. To manage the large gathering, entry for heavy vehicles was restricted.

Before his visit, PM Modi shared on X: "We are committed to making the Maha Kumbh divine and grand, ensuring every facility for devotees. Today, after darshan and puja in Prayagraj, I will review development projects related to Maha Kumbh and inaugurate several initiatives." The Prime Minister will inaugurate 167 development projects worth Rs 5,500 crores, including key infrastructure initiatives. This includes several corridors -- Akshayvat Corridor, Hanuman Temple Corridor, Saraswati Koop, Bhardwaj Ashram Corridor, and Shringverpur Dham Corridor. Apart from this, renovation and restoration work of 29 temples, new bridges, over bridges, and road projects, upgrades to railways, airports, and NHAI projects will also be inaugurated.

For a clean and pollution-free Ganga, PM Modi will also launch projects to treat and divert small drains flowing into the river, ensuring untreated water does not reach the Ganga. Additional initiatives for drinking water and electricity infrastructure will also be inaugurated. PM Modi will also launch the Kumbh Sahayak AI Chatbot, designed to provide real-time guidance and updates to devotees for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspected the preparations ahead of the PM’s visit on Thursday, spending four hours reviewing the proposed venues and discussing plans for the Prime Minister's interaction with Akhara saints.

/IANS