Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III in Himachal Pradesh for upgrading 3,125 km of rural roads.

He also laid foundation stones of two hydropower projects the 48 MW Chanju-III hydro-electric project and the 30 MW Deothal Chanju hydro-electric project.

More than Rs 420 crore has been sanctioned by the central government under this phase of the PMGSY-III for upgrading 440 km of rural roads in 15 border and far-flung blocks of the state.

The two hydropower projects will generate over 270 million units of electricity annually and Himachal Pradesh is expected to earn an annual revenue of around Rs 110 crore from these.

Earlier, Modi addressed a public meeting at the Indira Gandhi stadium in Una district after flagging off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express. He also laid the foundation stone of a Bulk Drug Pharma Park and inaugurated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una.