AT a time when Lakhimpur Kheri in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is tense over a violence that left eight people dead, including four farmers, prime minister Narendra Modi was set to visit to state capital Lucknow to take part in a three-day urban-conclave event, which will be hosted by UP’s urban development department.
Modi will inaugurate ‘Azadi@75 – New Urban India: Transforming Urban Landscape’ conference-cum-expo at 10.30 am and will also lay the foundation stones of 75 urban projects or schemes worth Rs 4,737 crore (£467 million) during his visit, the prime minister’s office said.
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During his stay at the event, the prime minister will also flag off 75 electric buses meant for several smart cities of the state and release a coffee table book for 75 successful projects of 10 smart cities. He will hand over the keys of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) houses to 75,000 beneficiaries in 75 districts of the state digitally. He will also interact virtually with the beneficiaries.
Modi will also announce the setting up of Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee Chair in Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow.
Lakhimpur violence: 'Nobody takes responsibility'
UP, which is ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, will go to elections next year.
The conference-cum-expo is being held by India’s ministry of housing and urban affairs as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ in the run-up to the country’s 75 years of independence next year.
It is themed on transforming the urban landscape with a specific focus on the transformative changes brought in Uttar Pradesh.
Three exhibitions are being set up in the conference-cum-expo and they are Clean Urban India, Water Secure Cities, Housing For All, New Construction Technologies, Smart City Development, Sustainable Mobility and Cities Promoting Livelihood Opportunities.
All states and Union territories will participate in the conference and expo and a number of top central ministers besides UP governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be present on the occasion.
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images
