Purnia/Patna: Anticipation gripped Purnia on Monday morning as the district awaited the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to inaugurate the new airport terminal and unveil a sweeping package of infrastructure projects in the afternoon.
PM Modi is scheduled to land at Chunapur Air Force Station around 2:20pm before proceeding to the Sheeshabari SSB Camp Ground in Gulabbag, where he will address a public gathering alongside governor Arif Mohammad Khan, chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary.
Among the headline projects are the inauguration of Purnia Airport’s civil enclave, built at a cost of Rs 34 crore, the launch of the Jogbani–Danapur Vande Bharat Express, and the laying of the foundation stone for the Seemanchal–Patna Greenfield Expressway. PM Modi will also announce the creation of a National Makhana Board to boost Bihar’s signature crop in international markets.
The prime minister is also expected to lay the foundation stone of the Rs 25,000 crore ultra-supercritical thermal power project in Bhagalpur, inaugurate the Rs 4,410 crore Araria–Galgalia rail line and the Rs 2,170 crore Vikramshila–Kataria rail link, and launch the Rs 2,680 crore Kosi–Mechi river interlink project, aimed at easing annual floods in north Bihar.
मखाना और बिहार का बहुत गहरा नाता रहा है। पूर्णिया से राष्ट्रीय मखाना बोर्ड की शुरुआत भी की जाएगी, जिससे इस क्षेत्र के हमारे किसान भाई-बहनों को बहुत लाभ होने वाला है।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 14, 2025
Other initiatives include a Rs 64 crore semen bank to strengthen animal husbandry, the housewarming of 40,920 homes under a Rs 603 crore scheme, and the release of Rs 500 crore from the community investment fund for rural development.
By late morning, security was tight at the venue and preparations were complete. BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal and senior ministers had inspected the rally ground on Sunday, calling the programme “historic for Seemanchal.”
For residents, many of whom have long complained of neglect and underdevelopment, the new airport and expressway in particular represent more than infrastructure. “This is the start of connecting us to the mainstream,” said a local trader in Gulabbag, as banners with PM Modi’s image were hung across the town.
