Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a two-day visit to Varanasi and Kedarnath on Saturday, with a new textile unit and an Indian Air Force air show at Namo Ghat on the agenda.
In Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, the Prime Minister will inaugurate a new unit of Gujarat-based Arvind Mills at Khochwan village in Mirzamurad on Sunday, officials said. The unit has come up on about seven acres beside the highway at an investment of ₹100 crore and is expected to employ around 1,000 women, most of them trained as operators.
He will then travel to Namo Ghat to watch the IAF's 'Wings Over Ganga' display, held over the river from October 22 to 25. Nearly 100 aircraft, including Rafales, Chinooks and the Sarang aerobatic team, are taking part, and around 12,000 security personnel have been deployed across the city, a district official said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who arrives on Saturday, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also attend the show on Sunday. Singh is scheduled to visit the Sankat Mochan and Kal Bhairav temples during his stay.
An IAF helicopter carried out a touch-and-go rehearsal at a temporary helipad in Khochwan on Friday, and the Special Protection Group has taken control of the venue and the Prime Minister's route, officials said. On Sunday, around a dozen Union and state ministers, besides senior officials, are expected in the city to receive the Prime Minister.