Narendra Modi Kedarnath visit LIVE Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Kedarnath shrine on Wednesday, on the day of Diwali. The prime minister will review work on the reconstruction projects and offer prayers at the temple. PM Modi had visited Kedarnath on October 20 last year and had laid the foundation stone of five reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri area, which encompasses the Kedarnath shrine.
He will also celebrate Diwali with Army Jawans. Responding to Diwali greetings from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi on Tuesday said, “Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special.”
After becoming the prime minister in 2014, Modi had spent Diwali at Siachen with Army jawans. In 2015, he had visited the Punjab border on Diwali. His visit had coincided with 50 years of the 1965 Indo-Pak war. The next year, Modi was in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent time with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at a border outpost. He had spent his fourth Diwali as prime minister with soldiers at Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir last year.
The Prime Minister has offered prayers at the Kedarnath temple. Here are the visuals:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Kedarnath. He will celebrate Diwali here. Check out some pictures -
PM Modi also said India is taking great strides forward in defence. He spoke of various measures being taken for welfare of ex-servicemen, including One Rank, One Pension. He said that Indian Armed Forces draw admiration & appreciation across the world, in UN peacekeeping operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with Jawans of the Indian Armed Forces at Harsil in Uttarakhand. "Your devotion to duty in the remote icy heights is enabling the strength of the nation, and securing the future and the dreams of 125 crore Indians," PM Modi told them.
PM Modi is also scheduled to watch a video presentation prepared by the state government officials on the reconstruction work of the guest house near the shrine. According to reports, the Prime Minister might visit Harshil where he will spend Diwali with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troopers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dehradun on Wednesday and left for Kedarnath in a chopper, officials said. The Prime Minister flew into the state capital in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) plane. He was received at the Jolly Grant airport by Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat and other senior officials.
PM Modi is scheduled to reach Kedarnath by 10 am and will stay there for one and a half hour. Rudraprayag district magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said, “The work of widening the approach road to the shrine and construction of retaining walls along the Mandakini are complete. The remaining works will be completed by April next year.”
On Wednesday, Modi will review the five projects - widening of the approach road to Kedarnath, construction of ghats and retaining walls on rivers Mandakini and Saraswati, construction of houses for the teerth purohits (priests), and construction of a grand ‘samadhi sthal’ of Adi Sankara.