Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the upcoming international Cricket Stadium on September 23 in his constituency, Varanasi.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BCCI president Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah along with former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar also attended the ceremony.
Sachin Tendulkar welcomed the Prime Minister by gifting him the Team India jersey.
Modi during his speech said, "This stadium in the city of Mahadev will be dedicated to Mahadev himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. This stadium will become the star of the Purvanchal region."
The stadium in the Ganjari area of the city is UP's 3rd international cricket stadium and has been designed to incorporate the essence of Kashi.
While the UP government has reportedly spent 121 crores for land acquisition, BCCI is set to invest 330 crores in the construction of the unique stadium, the plan of which is inspired by Lord Shiva.