Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the world's largest meditation centre Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi.
Following the inauguration, he along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a tour of the centre that can seat 20,000 people at a time for meditation.
Verses of the Swarveda have been carved upon the walls of the Mahamandir -- a seven-floor superstructure.
Earlier, on his first day of Varanasi visit, PM Modi launched a slew of development and infrastructure projects in the city including the launch of the Kanyakumari-Varanasi Tamil Sangamam train and multi-language and braille translations of Thirukkural, Manimekalai and other classic Tamil literature.
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He also participated in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra and took a walkthrough of the stall and visited the Viksit Bharat Yatra Van and Quiz event where he interacted with beneficiaries of various government schemes.
The city will witness another set of inaugurations on the second day of PM Modi's visit.
He will flag off the second Vande Bharat train connection between Varanasi and New Delhi.
He will also launch the New Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction to New Bhaupur Junction segment of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) giving a boost to the logistics sector.
Second Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat
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The second edition of the advanced semi-high-speed Vande Bharat train will be flagged off today at 2:15 pm. According to the Northern Railway, the second Vande Bharat train will be saffron in colour and has multiple features.
"The train has superior passenger amenities such as onboard Wi-Fi infotainment, GPS-based passenger information system, plush interiors, bio-vacuum toilets with touch-free conveniences, diffused LED lighting, charging points beneath every seat, individual touch-based reading lights and concealed roller blinds," a statement said.
402 kilometer eastern dedicated freight corridor
PM Modi will also launch the new Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction to New Bhaupur Junction of the eastern DFC today. This section of the corridor has been built for Rs 10,903 crore and is situated on the Delhi-Howrah rail route, passing through districts such as Chandauli, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Kanpur Nagar and Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh.
The corridor connects the crucial coal fields of West Bengal and Jharkhand including the Eastern Coalfields Limited, Central Coalfields Limited, Bharat Coking Coal Limited to the power plants in north India.
