Big push for Assam: PM Modi inaugrates Rs 5,450 crore worth projects; IIM Guwahati, Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu & more

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a series of major infrastructure projects in Assam on Saturday, aiming to accelerate development across the North-East. The projects, worth more than Rs 5,450 crore include Indian Institute of Management Guwahati, the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a new fleet of electric buses and the National Data Centre. The move aims to boost connectivity, improve digital services, expanding higher education and making urban transport better across the region.One of the major projects inaugrated is the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu built across the Brahmaputra river, completed at an approximate cost of Rs 3,030 crore. The six-lane extradosed PSC bridge provides a direct link between Guwahati and North Guwahati and marks the first extradosed bridge to come up in the Northeast. Travel time across the stretch is expected to come down to around seven minutes. The PM will also launch the National Data Centre for the North Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district. With a sanctioned load of 8.5 MW and an average rack capacity of 10 kW per rack, the advanced facility will run mission-critical applications for different government departments. Another key event was the inauguration of the Indian Institute of Management Guwahati, which is expected to significantly strengthen management and higher education opportunities within the North-Eastern Region.The visit will conclude with the flagging off of 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme. The fleet will be distributed across Guwahati, which will receive 100 buses, followed by 50 each for Nagpur and Bhavnagar, and 25 for Chandigarh. With services commencing in these cities, more than 50 lakh residents are projected to benefit from access to cleaner, affordable and dependable public transport, improving mobility and overall quality of life.