
PM inaugurates underground section of Kanpur metro
: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 15 mega development projects worth over Rs 47,600 crore in Kanpur.
Modi inaugurated the new underground section of the
Kanpur metro
rail project worth over Rs 2,120 crore from Chunniganj to Kanpur Central. This section includes five new underground stations -- Chunniganj, Bada Chauraha, Naveen Market, Nayaganj and Kanpur Central.
It will include 14 planned stations with five new underground stations integrating key city landmarks and commercial hubs into the metro network.
Additionally, he also inaugurated road widening and strengthening work of GT Road. With this extension, important city landmarks such as Lal Imli, Z Square Mall, Green Park Stadium, Parade Ground, Book Market and Somdutt Plaza will be directly connected via metro.
Currently, nine stations are operational from IIT Kanpur to Motijheel. The new section will make metro travel in the city more convenient, faster and safer, according to a statement.
The prime minister laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects aimed at boosting the region's infrastructure and connectivity.
In order to boost power generation capacity in the region, multiple projects will be undertaken. Modi laid the foundation stone of a 220 kV substation in Sector 28 at
Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority
(YEIDA), Gautam Buddh Nagar to meet the growing energy demands of the region.
He also inaugurated 132 kV substations worth over Rs 320 crore at Ecotech-8 and Ecotech-10 in Greater Noida.
He inaugurated a 660-MW Panki Thermal Power Extension Project in Kanpur worth over Rs 8,300 crore enhancing Uttar Pradesh's energy capacity. He inaugurated three 660-MW units of
Ghatampur Thermal Power Project
worth over Rs 9,330 crore, bolstering the power supply significantly.'
The prime minister also inaugurated rail over bridges over Panki Power House Railway Crossing and over Panki Dham Crossing on Panki Road at Kalyanpur Panki Mandir in Kanpur. It will support the Panki Thermal Power Extension Project's logistics by facilitating coal and oil transport while also alleviating traffic congestion for the local population.
On this occasion, Modi inaugurated a 40 MLD (million litres per day) tertiary treatment plant at Bingawan in Kanpur worth over Rs 290 crore. It will enable the reuse of treated sewage water, promoting water conservation and sustainable resource management in the region.
In a major boost to road infrastructure in the region, the prime minister laid the foundation stone for widening and strengthening of Gauria Pali Marg for industrial development, and widening and strengthening of the road to connect Narwal Mode (AH-1) on Prayagraj Highway to Kanpur Defence Node (4 lane) under Defence Corridor, both in Kanpur Nagar district, which will significantly improve connectivity for the Defence Corridor, enhancing logistics and accessibility.
He also distributed certificates and cheques to the beneficiaries of PM Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojna, National Livelihood Mission and PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and other dignitaries were present on this occasion.
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India Today
10 minutes ago
- India Today
Modi's farmer firewall: The subtext of India's trade standoff with US
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood on stage at the National Conference on Agriculture in New Delhi on August 7, the political atmosphere was already thick with tension. Only a day earlier, US president Donald Trump had stunned observers by announcing a fresh 25 per cent tariff on a range of Indian exports—pharmaceuticals, auto components, steel—hours after US representative Ricky Gill left the capital following the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) meeting. It was an unmistakable escalation in a relationship that has seen friction bubble beneath the surface for in his response, didn't mince words. 'India will never compromise on the wellbeing of its farmers, dairy workers and fishermen,' he declared, adding pointedly, 'Even if I have to pay a personal price, I'm ready for it.' For domestic audiences, it was a reaffirmation of a longstanding nationalist plank. 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India has approved GM cotton but consistently resisted introducing GM food crops into the consumer market, citing bio-safety and farmer dependence on proprietary seed technology. US-based lobby groups had been pushing India to open up for GM variants of mustard, brinjal, rice, etc. Incidentally, most of these are indigenous crops and face resistance from farmer lobbies in India. Trade lobbyists also argue that the acceptance of GM variants in human consumption crops would mean shutting the doors of importers in matter is tangled in legal complexities, with Supreme Court judges Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol, in July last year, pronouncing a split verdict on the validity of the Centre's 2022 decision granting conditional approval for environmental release of GM mustard crops. The matter is now listed to be heard by a bigger US is one of the world's largest GM crop exporters and sees India's caution as a form of protectionism. Washington has demanded streamlined regulatory approval processes and wider acceptance of agricultural biotechnology—demands that remain political landmines in India's polarised discourse around food, science and sovereignty. 'The resistance to GM crops is linked to the food security of the country, retaining the rights and control of the crop for the farmers. This should not be lost at any cost,' says Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convenor, Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) affiliate working in the economic groups such as the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, along with Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, anchored by SJM, have been vehemently opposing the opening up of the farm sector, including for GM crops. Layered onto these specific disputes are broader philosophical differences on the nature of farm support US frequently challenges India's minimum support price (MSP) mechanism—particularly its generous procurement and stockholding policies—as trade-distorting under WTO norms. But for India, the MSP regime is a non-negotiable pillar of its food security architecture. It guarantees a floor price to farmers and ensures buffer stocks for the government's massive food distribution schemes, which benefit hundreds of millions of low-income the BTA (bilateral trade agreement) discussions, India's red lines on agriculture were being pushed in return for no significant concessions by the US,' says Pradeep Mehta, founder secretary general of CUTS, a leading think-tank focused on trade negotiations. 'It is all 'take' and no 'give'—and that is not the template for a balanced negotiation.'After the massive farmers' protests of 2020-21, which forced the Narendra Modi government to repeal three controversial farm laws, any move seen as undermining MSPs would be political suicide. As Modi himself hinted in his speech, the 'personal price' of protecting farmers is one he is prepared to pay—a statement that may resonate with rural voters but effectively freezes any room for agricultural concessions in Indo-US trade the Trump administration, this hard line is frustrating. His return to office has revived the 'America First' playbook, and India's tight controls on agri-trade are once again being framed as 'unfair'. Trump views trade not as a long-term strategic alignment but as a scoreboard of economic wins and losses. His doctrine of 'reciprocity' demands that if American goods face high tariffs or non-tariff barriers, equivalent measures should be imposed in return. 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India is also spearheading alternative payment systems, like Unified Payments Interface (UPI) linkages and rupee-dirham trade, to insulate itself from currency weaponisation and future economic the bigger message lies in Modi's August 7 speech. It was not just about agricultural policy. It was a declaration that India will chart its economic future on its own terms—even if that means losing trade benefits or enduring tariff pressure. The personal tone he adopted—acknowledging the political cost—signals that India's strategic autonomy is no longer a theoretical concept. It is the guiding principle of its economic US may still be India's most important partner in defence and technology, but on trade, the fault lines are growing too visible to ignore. Whether those lines can be bridged through backchannel diplomacy or will become permanent fractures will define the next phase of this complex, high-stakes relationship. For now, the signal from New Delhi is clear: India's farmers, and the politics they anchor, will not be sacrificed at the altar of a fast-tracked trade to India Today Magazine- EndsTune InMust Watch


India Today
21 minutes ago
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Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
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