VARANASI, Sept. 17 -- A festival atmosphere was palpable in Varanasi as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 75th birthday was celebrated in his parliamentary constituency on Wednesday with the launch of development projects, Vedic rituals, a special 'dugdhabhishek' (milk offering) to the Ganga, prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, distribution of pieces of a 75-kg laddu and the inauguration of a cleanliness drive.

Varanasi mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari marked the occasion by launching 650 projects worth Rs.130 crore, laying the foundation stone for 575 projects and inaugurating 75 . The mayor also flagged off 10 garbage collection vehicles for the model wards.

While the mayor cut a laddu cake and distributed its pieces among the people, public...