New Delhi, Dec 29 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in Haldwani, Uttarakhand on Thursday. Among the 23 projects, 17 projects worth over Rs 14,100 crore cover a wide array of sectors/areas across the state including irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation, drinking water supply among others. The Prime Minister will inaugurate six projects, including multiple road widening projects, a hydropower project in Pithoragarh and projects to improve sewerage network in Nainital. The cumulative cost of the projects being inaugurated is over Rs 3,400 crore. Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project to be built at the cost of about Rs 5,750 crore. This project was first conceived in 1976 and had been pending for many years. Modi's "vision to prioritise long pending projects is the force behind the project's foundation stone being laid. This project of national importance will enable irrigation of about 34,000 hectare additional land, produce 300 MW hydro power and supply drinking water to the six states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan", the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement. To improve connectivity at far flung places of the country, inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8,700 crore would be done. Further, foundation stones of multiple road projects all across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna would also be laid by the Prime Minister. The projects include laying of 133 rural roads with a total length of 1,157 km at cost of more than Rs 625 crore and construction of 151 bridges at a cost of about Rs 450 crores. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh. These two hospitals are being built at a cost of about Rs 500 crore and Rs 450 crore, respectively. The improved medical infrastructure will not only help the people of Kumaon and Terai regions but also the bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of 'Aroma Park' at Kashipur and Plastic Industrial Park at Sitarganj and multiple other initiatives in housing, sanitation and drinking water supply across the state. /IANS