AGRA: Launching a slew of developmental projects, including the ambitious Gangajal scheme that would provide drinking water to the Taj City from the Ganga, worth Rs 2,909 crore on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that these would boost tourism in the city and strengthen its economy.“Agra is known for Taj but now when tourists know that they would get water from the holy Ganga to drink here, their numbers will increase and the city will get a further boost,” said the PM. He said the city would soon be covered with 1,200 CCTV cameras, which would allay security concerns of the tourists, particularly the foreigners.He launched the Gangajal project to provide better and more assured water supply and also laid the foundation stone for an Integrated Command and Control Centre for the Agra Smart City project.The smart city project is meant to develop the tourism destination as a modern world class city. In this project, 1200 CCTV cameras would be installed throughout Agra City for monitoring and surveillance for the purpose of safety and security of residents as well as tourists, said officials.Gangajal project is dedicated to the people of Agra to ensure clean drinking water for everyone. “Several projects of the Namami Gange are under way for a cleaner Ganga," Modi said while addressing crowd in Agra.Besides, the SN Medical College in Agra will be upgraded with a 100-bed maternity wing. The Prime Minister lauded Ayushman Bharat Yojana claiming that more than 7 lakh people have availed the benefits under the scheme within a span of 100 days.This is Modi's second visit to the city as the PM. During his earlier visit in November 2016, he had launched a housing project, the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin). Under this scheme, 65 lakh houses have been constructed so far, including 9.2 lakh in Uttar Pradesh , according to the government.

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