New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Maharashtra on Thursday and Kerala as well as Andhra Pradesh on Friday.

He will travel to Mumbai and at around 10:30 a.m. to inaugurate the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES).

The Prime Minister will inaugurate WAVES 2025, India’s first-of-its-kind World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit at the Jio World Centre, Mumbai.

The four-day summit with tagline “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries” is poised to position India as a global hub for media, entertainment, and digital innovation by bringing together creators, startups, industry leaders, and policymakers from across the world.

In line with Prime Minister’s vision of leveraging creativity, technology, and talent to shape a brighter future, WAVES will integrate films, OTT, gaming, comics, digital media, AI, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR), broadcasting, and emerging tech, making it a comprehensive showcase of India’s media and entertainment prowess.

WAVES aims to unlock a $50 billion market by 2029, expanding India’s footprint in the global entertainment economy.

At WAVES 2025, India will also host the Global Media Dialogue for the first time, with ministerial participation from 25 countries, marking a milestone in the country’s engagement with the global media and entertainment landscape.

The Summit will also feature the WAVES Bazaar, a global e-marketplace with more than 6,100 buyers, 5,200 sellers, and 2,100 projects. It aims to connect buyers and sellers locally and globally, ensuring wide-reaching networking and business opportunities.

The Prime Minister will visit the Creatosphere and interact with creators, selected from the 32 Create in India Challenges launched nearly a year ago, which garnered more than one lakh registrations. He will also visit the Bharat Pavilion.

WAVES 2025 will witness participation from over 90 countries, with more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300+ companies, and 350+ startups.

The summit will feature 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses spanning diverse sectors, including broadcasting, infotainment, AVGC-XR, films, and digital media.

Thereafter, PM Modi will travel to Kerala and on May 2, at around 10:30 a.m., he will dedicate to the nation Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport. He will also address the gathering on the occasion.

He will also travel to Andhra Pradesh and at around 3:30 p.m., he will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth more than Rs 58,000 crore in Amaravati. He will also address a public event.

The Prime Minister will visit Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a host of infrastructure and development projects worth more than Rs 66,000 crore.

As part of the events, Prime Minister Modi is expected to participate in a roadshow during his visit to Amaravati on May 2.

PM Modi’s visit emphasises the Union government’s commitment to bolstering national infrastructure and economic development under the Viksit Bharat initiative.

In Kerala, Modi will dedicate the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport to the nation.

Located near Thiruvananthapuram, the Rs 8,900 crore port is India’s first container transshipment hub and strategically positioned near major global shipping lanes.

With a natural depth of 20 metres, Vizhinjam is expected to significantly enhance India’s maritime logistics, reduce reliance on foreign ports, and strengthen the country’s role in international trade.

Following this, the Prime Minister will travel to Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh to unveil projects exceeding Rs 58,000 crore in value. These include seven National Highway initiatives aimed at improving road connectivity to religious and heritage sites such as Tirupati, Srikalahasti, Malakonda and Udayagiri Fort.

Several railway developments are also part of the visit, including the doubling of the Bugganapalle Cement Nagar–Panyam line, a new third rail line between New West Block Hut Cabin and Vijayawada, and a Rail Over Rail corridor between Guntakal West and Mallarma Gate to ease junction congestion.

The visit will also mark the foundation laying of major infrastructure for Amaravati’s capital region, including the new Legislative Assembly, High Court, and government administrative buildings.

A large-scale housing initiative covering more than 5,200 families and an urban infrastructure plan worth Rs 17,400 crore are also part of the event. This plan features a 320-km urban transport network integrated with flood management and underground utility systems.

–IANS

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