Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a roadshow in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, receiving an enthusiastic welcome from crowds gathered along the route as he began his two-day visit to the state.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi accompanied the Prime Minister during the roadshow.
During his October 30–31 visit, PM Modi is scheduled to inaugurate, dedicate and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth over Rs 14,000 crore in Banaskantha and release the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), amounting to around Rs 19,000 crore.
The Prime Minister’s programme in Banaskantha includes a visit to the Embryo Transfer Technology-In Vitro Fertilisation laboratory and cattle farm at the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC). He will dedicate the centre at Bhildi to the nation.
Spread over 127 acres, the centre has been established as a Centre of Excellence to strengthen bovine breeding, genetic improvement and advanced reproductive technologies. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, it will be the country’s first facility of its kind dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed and is expected to accelerate breed improvement by 10–20 times.
PM Modi will also lay the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants of Banas Dairy at Tharad and Radhanpur, with cattle dung processing capacities of 75 metric tonnes and 100 metric tonnes per day, respectively.
Among the major transport projects, he will lay the foundation stones for Ahmedabad Metro Phase-2A, the airport extension, and Phase-2B, the GIFT City extension. Phase-2A will cover over 6 km with five stations between Koteshwar Road and the airport, while Phase-2B will span over 3.3 km with three stations between GIFT City and Shahpur.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for widening and strengthening the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road, or State Highway-41, from four to eight lanes at a cost of around Rs 2,600 crore. The project is expected to improve travel between Ahmedabad and North Gujarat.
He will flag off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU services to strengthen rail connectivity.
The programme includes laying the foundation stones for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centres and inaugurating 361 completed centres in Gujarat. The initiative involves an investment of Rs 800 crore and is expected to benefit more than four lakh people.
PM Modi will dedicate 521 completed projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, involving a total project cost of around Rs 4,950 crore. These include cold storage facilities, cold chains, warehouses, silos, polyhouses, greenhouses and primary and secondary processing facilities.
He will also inaugurate the expanded potato processing plant at Sanadar and commission an Automated Storage and Retrieval System for ultra-high-temperature products at Palanpur.
Alongside the release of the PM-KISAN instalment, the Prime Minister will mark the commencement of on-ground activities under 12 approved horticulture clusters. Covering approximately 1.46 lakh hectares, these clusters are expected to benefit over 1.3 lakh farmers. Two clusters in North Gujarat will focus on potatoes.
Later in the day, PM Modi will travel to Ekta Nagar in Kevadia to inaugurate Bharat Parv 2026, witness Ekta Prakash Parv and attend the Narmada Aarti.
Bharat Parv, which will continue until November 15, will provide a platform for states and Union Territories to showcase their traditions, folk performances, regional cuisines, handicrafts and tourist attractions. The festival is expected to boost tourism in Ekta Nagar and nearby destinations.
Ekta Prakash Parv will feature illumination displays celebrating India’s unity, diversity, cultural heritage and progress. Its attractions include the 530-metre-long Valley of Flowers Road illumination, themed “From Ancient India to Modern India”, and a 180-metre-long Glow Tunnel, themed “Unity in India’s Diversity”.
The displays use more than 1.5 crore LED lights and feature artworks created by artists from across the country. The Valley of Flowers Road will showcase themes including civilisation, women’s empowerment, security forces, technology and yoga, while the Glow Tunnel will highlight the cultures, architecture, folk dances, handicrafts and lifestyles of India’s four regions.
On October 31, the Prime Minister will offer floral tributes at the Statue of Unity before inaugurating, dedicating and laying the foundation stones for development projects worth over Rs 400 crore in Ekta Nagar.
Projects to be inaugurated include a sewage and water treatment plant, facade lighting, the upgraded Narmada Ghat, an IRCTC hotel, and the Rainforest, Unity and Eco Trail. He will lay the foundation stones for Gora-Bhandra Road development, an integrated zero-waste smart solid waste management project, Khalwani Eco Tourism Development and integrated development at the Cactus and Butterfly Garden.
The Prime Minister will subsequently visit the Rain Forest and Vaman Vriksha Vatika and participate in Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations commemorating the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The Ekta Parade will showcase the Central Armed Police Forces, state police forces and Central Police Organisations, with special emphasis on their achievements in combating Left-Wing Extremism and the transformation of previously affected areas towards peace, security and development.
A theatrical presentation on “Naxal Mukt Bharat”, organised by the National School of Drama, will feature approximately 2,000 artists from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism. The performance will portray the challenges faced by communities in these regions and their journey towards peace and development.
“Vande Mataram” will be the overarching theme of the celebrations, with tableaux and cultural performances reflecting patriotism, national pride, regional traditions and development. A cultural presentation featuring approximately 5,000 artists from across India will showcase the country’s classical and folk traditions, music, dance and artistic heritage.
[DD news]