MADURAI / PUDUCHERRY — Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a high-impact tour of Southern India on Sunday, March 1, 2026, inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for infrastructure projects totaling over ₹7,100 crore. Emphasizing the theme of “Viksit Tamil Nadu for Viksit Bharat,” the Prime Minister’s visit spanned from the spiritual heights of Madurai’s ancient temples to the cutting edge of industrial and digital connectivity.
In Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister dedicated projects worth over ₹4,400 crore, including eight newly developed Amrit Bharat railway stations and three Akashvani FM relay transmitters. Addressing a massive gathering in Madurai, Modi highlighted that the state’s railway budget has seen a nearly nine-fold increase over the last decade, reaching ₹7,600 crore in 2026-27. He further unveiled plans for the Bengaluru-Chennai and Chennai-Hyderabad bullet train corridors, which he described as “revolutionary” for the regional economy.
Earlier in Puducherry, the Prime Minister launched initiatives worth ₹2,700 crore, focusing on medical tourism, digital connectivity, and clean energy through the PM e-Bus service. He took a sharp political swipe at the previous Congress-DMK administrations, alleging they treated Puducherry as an “ATM” for a single family in Delhi. He countered this with the “Double Engine” government’s success, noting that Puducherry now boasts one of the highest social progress indices in the country and will soon see travel time to Chennai reduced to just 90 minutes.
The day concluded with a deeply symbolic spiritual visit to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Thirupparankundram, one of the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan. Following a recent Madras High Court ruling upholding traditional lighting rituals at the site, the Prime Minister performed a Dandavat Pranam (full-body prostration) and was honored by the temple priests. This gesture underscored the administration’s dual focus: driving India toward a high-tech future while fiercely preserving its ancient cultural and religious heritage.
