Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, July 17, dedicated 10 major development initiatives worth ₹4,700 crore to the public in Chandigarh, stating that the infrastructure and economic growth of the Union Territory acts as a force multiplier for neighboring Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
In a notable political moment, Congress MP from Chandigarh, Manish Tewari, shared the stage with the Prime Minister during the high-profile event.
The launch event came shortly after PM Modi flagged off the country’s inaugural hydrogen-fueled passenger train from Jind in Haryana. The Prime Minister is next scheduled to travel to Jalandhar in Punjab to inaugurate 75 railway stations modernised under the Amrit Bharat initiative, hold discussions with prominent religious leaders, and address a massive public gathering. Political analysts view this extensive regional push as a strategic outreach ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections 2027.
Chandigarh is witnessing a significant boost in healthcare, education and connectivity today. Delighted to launch projects that will benefit people here.
https://t.co/k5wxtsZ0Q8— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 17, 2026
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi highlighted a structural turnaround in India’s public healthcare framework. He pointed out that nearly 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are currently dispensing localised medical screenings for conditions like diabetes and hypertension, while the e-Sanjeevani portal has brought doctor consultations directly into citizens’ homes. The Prime Minister added that a sustained focus on maternal care has pushed hospital-based child deliveries past the 90 per cent mark, dramatically lowering mortality rates.
Prime Minister Modi also cited recent World Health Organization figures to show that India’s targeted anti-tuberculosis drive has expanded treatment coverage past 90 per cent and achieved a 21 per cent reduction in total TB cases, providing maximum relief to women and lower-income families. Reflecting on India’s evolving global footprint, PM Modi remarked that while the world looked at India with anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak, the country altered that perception by transitioning from a nation seeking assistance to one supplying vital medical aid internationally.
He credited this to the addition of 15 new AIIMS institutes over the past 12 years and the establishment of the Ayushman Health Infrastructure Mission.
Describing Chandigarh as a shining model of systematic urban planning and healthcare quality, the Prime Minister praised local IPS officer Inderjit Singh Sidhu. Sidhu, a recipient of the Padma honors, was lauded as a “Swachhata Sipahi” for driving the “Swachhata se Swagat” campaign, a social media initiative PM Modi said he closely followed. The Prime Minister also reaffirmed the NDA government’s priority focus on the city, noting an allocation of over ₹2,500 crore toward digital projects, smart parking, and the Integrated Command System, while recalling that the ground implementation of the country’s new legal code, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, originally kicked off from Chandigarh eighteen months ago.
Sharing the stage, Union Health Minister JP Nadda spoke about the rapid expansion of medical education across the country. Nadda stated that India has scaled up from just a single operational AIIMS at the turn of the century to over 23 institutes today, while the number of medical colleges jumped from 387 to more than 818. The government also plans to expand undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats by another 75,000. Nadda described Chandigarh as the Prime Minister’s old organisational workspace, where he spent formative years strengthening the party’s foundation in northern India.