PM Modi lays foundation stone of India's first PM MITRA Park in MP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the country's first Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district.

He also launched the ‘Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar’ and ‘Rashtriya Poshan Maah’ campaigns from Dhar in MP.

PM Modi turned 75 on Wednesday, and this is his second visit to Madhya Pradesh on his birthday after 2022.

He accepted greetings from people on his birthday at a rally in Dhar district.

The PM MITRA scheme has been launched by the Centre to establish large-scale textile manufacturing hubs at seven places in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra with world-class infrastructure and facilities, a government statement said.

The PM MITRA Park is coming up on about 2,158 acres at Bhainsola village in Dhar district. It would be equipped with world-class facilities and would abundantly benefit the cotton producers, it said.

Facilities like a 20 Mega Litres per Day (MLD) common effluent treatment plant, a 10 Megavolt-amperes (MVA) solar power plant, continuous supply of water and electricity, modern roads and 81 plug-and-play units are being developed in the park, the statement said.

Housing and social facilities for workers and women employees would make the facility not just an industrial area but an ideal industrial town, it said.

The country's leading textile companies have also expressed confidence in the PM Mitra Park and have given investment proposals of Rs 23,146 crore so far, the statement said.

The 'Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar' campaign will run till October 2 at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (health and wellness centres) to prioritise women’s health with a focus on mental health, gender equity, adolescent anaemia management and active lifestyles, officials said.

National Health Mission’s (NHM) MP Director Dr Saloni Sidana said women often neglect their own health while caring for others.

“Men must extend support, and women should dedicate at least an hour daily to self-care without guilt,” she stated.

Dr Rachana Dubey, Director of the NHM’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Bureau, said many adolescents suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) without realising it, and urged them to undergo screening during the campaign.

“We are developing centres to provide screening and treatment services,” she said.

The 8th 'Rashtriya Poshan Maah' will focus on limited consumption of sugar and edible oil, early childhood care and education, and promotion of locally available nutritious food resources.