The Haryana government is gearing up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jind on July 17. According to official information, the PM will flag off India’s first hydrogen fuel-cell train, alongside other major development projects in the state.Officials said the Kurukshetra elevated railway track from Pehowa Road to the Kurukshetra Block section is 5.9km long. (HT Photo)According to the officials, the PM will address a public rally in Jind at 10am and virtually inaugurate the Kurukshetra elevated railway track, the Haryana stretch of the Delhi–Jammu–Katra Expressway, and the government medical colleges at Koriyawas (Narnaul) and Bhiwani.The PM will also inaugurate the 1857 War Memorial, built at a cost of ₹600 crore on NH-44 in Ambala. In addition, he will virtually lay the foundation stone of the Sikh Museum, featuring virtual galleries on the lives of the 10 Sikh Gurus, a modern library and a light and sound show, to promote religious tourism in Kurukshetra.“It is a matter of great pride that the PM will launch country’s first hydrogen-powered train from Jind to Sonepat”, said Haryana BJP president, Archana Gupta.According to a statement issued by Indian Railways, a 10-coach hydrogen fuel cell-powered train has been approved for operation on the Jind–Sonepat section of the Northern Railway. The train will be equipped with a 1,200 kW hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and will have a maximum operational speed of 75 kmph.To facilitate public participation in the rally, Haryana Roadways will deploy electric buses to ferry people from different parts of the state to the rally venue in Jind. According to BJP leaders, cabinet ministers have been assigned to oversee preparations for the programmes to be held across four districts as the PM will join these programmes virtually.According to the officials, Haryana agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana will attend the event in Kurukshetra, power and transport minister Anil Vij will preside over the programme in Ambala, women and child development minister Shruti Choudhry will be present at the function in Bhiwani, while health minister Arti Singh Rao will attend the programme at Koriyawas in Mahendragarh district.This will be the PM’s first visit to Jind in nearly 12 years, and his first since October 11, 2014, when he addressed an election rally shortly after senior Jat leader Birender Singh from Jind district joined the BJP. Singh was later inducted into the Union Cabinet.The Jat-dominated Jind has long been regarded as a political bellwether and a key rallying ground in Haryana’s politics, with major political parties traditionally using the district to showcase their strength ahead of crucial elections.Besides inaugurating several major projects, the PM’s visit is also seen as politically significant. Political observers believe it will reinforce the BJP’s “double-engine government” narrative and send a strong message to neighbouring Punjab ahead of its assembly elections early next year.With Birender Singh and his son, former BJP MP from Hisar, Brijendra Singh, having defected to the Congress party, the BJP is expected to use the July 17 rally to demonstrate its organisational strength and gauge its support in Haryana’s politically significant Jat heartland.PM virtually inaugurate elevated railway track, station in K’shetra