Madhubani/ Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Lohana North Gram Panchayat in Jhanjharpur, Madhubani district, this afternoon, where he will attend a condolence meeting instead of the originally planned grand rally to mark Panchayati Raj Day. The decision to tone down the programme follows the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, including that of an Intelligence Bureau officer from Bihar.
The Prime Minister will arrive at Darbhanga Airport in the morning and proceed to the event venue via helicopter, reaching at 11:15am. His presence in Bihar will be brief—just 55 minutes, including a 15-minute address during the event.
Despite the scaled-down format, the event remains significant in terms of development announcements. PM Modi is expected to launch and inaugurate projects worth Rs 13,480 crore, spanning infrastructure, power, and railways. Among these are the Saharsa–Mumbai Amrit Bharat Express and the NaMo Bharat Rapid Rail between Jaynagar and Patna, both of which he will flag off.
In light of heightened security concerns following the Pahalgam attack, authorities have implemented six-tier security arrangements led by the Special Protection Group (SPG). The security framework includes elite commandos, state police, intelligence teams, bomb disposal squads, and quick reaction forces. Over 250 CCTV cameras have been installed at the venue, and the Nepal border has been sealed for 24 hours as a precaution. The Health Department has deployed 100 doctors and 15 medical teams at the site.
A massive crowd is expected, with arrangements for 1.25 lakh chairs. Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, Jeevika Didis, and panchayat representatives will be among those attending. According to BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, all welcome ceremonies and award functions have been postponed, and the event will proceed in a spirit of simplicity.
Senior leaders including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary are slated to attend. JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha said, “The government is capable of responding to terrorists. People are coming from across the region, and the PM’s presence itself is a message of resolve.”
