Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Gujarat on 12th March, 2024. During his visit, PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects in Gujarat. The development projects cover various sectors such as: railway infrastructure, connectivity and petrochemicals.
Key Highlights of PM’s visit to Gujarat
PM laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple developmental projects worth more than 1 lakh crore in Gujarat
Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid foundation stone of several development projects worth over Rs 1,06,000 crore at Dedicated Freight Corridor’s Operation Control Centre(OCC) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 12th March, 2024.
Projects related to Railway Sectors:
PM Modi unveiled various railway projects worth Rs 85,000 crore at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. These projects include:
i.He laid the foundation stone of Railway Workshops, Loco sheds, Pit lines or Coaching depots.
ii.He laid the foundation stone of new rail line connecting Phaltan to Baramati.
iii.Upgradation work of Electric Traction System.
iv.PM dedicated to the nation two new sections of Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) of 401 Rkm long between New Khurja to Sahnewal section of Eastern DFC.
- New Makarpura to New Gholvad section (244 Route kilometre (RKM)) of Western DFC.
- Western DFC’s Operation Control Centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
v.PM also flagged off freight trains on DFC from various locations: New Khurja Junction, Sahnewal, New Rewari, New Kishangarh, New Gholvad and New Makarpura.
vi.PM dedicated to the nation 50 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras at Railway Stations.
About Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras:
These Janaushadhi Kendras are established under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), which was launched in 2008 by Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Aim: The primary objective of setting up of Janaushadhi Kendras is to provide affordable and quality generic medicines to the people.
Janaushadhi Kendras are monitored by Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI).
vii.PM also inaugurated 51 Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminals. These terminals will simplify the movement of goods between different modes of transportation.
viii.PM unveiled 1045 Rkm of Automatic Signaling in 80 sections. Also, He dedicated to the nation Digital Controlling of Railway Stations at 2646 stations.
- This will improve operational efficiency and safety of the trains.
ix.PM dedicated 35 rail coach restaurants to the nation. It aims to address the needs of passengers and public and generates non-fare revenue for railways.
x.PM inaugurated more than 1500 One Station One Product stalls. These stalls will give boost to local products and generate income for local artisans and businesses.
Other Key Projects launched by PM:
i.PM dedicated to the nation Solar Power Stations/ Buildings at 975 locations. This will give boost to India’s renewable energy goals and will help to reduce carbon footprint of railways.
ii.PM laid the foundation stone for Ekta Malls in Gujarat and Maharashtra worth Rs 400 crore.
- These Malls will support the rich and diverse heritage of Indian handicrafts, handlooms, traditional and ODOP (One District One Product) products.
PM flagged off 10 new Vande Bharat trains
During his visit to Gujarat, PM flagged off 10 new Vande Bharat trains on 12th March, 2024. These newly introduced Vande Bharat trains are:
i.Ahmedabad- Mumbai Central (Maharashtra)
ii.Secunderabad (Telangana)- Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
iii.Mysuru (Karnataka) – Dr. MGR Central (Chennai) (Tamil Nadu)
iv.Patna (Bihar)- Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
v.New Jalpaiguri (West Bengal)- Patna
vi.Puri (Odisha)- Visakhapatnam
vii.Lucknow- Dehradun (Uttarakhand)
viii.Kalaburagi (Karnataka)- Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru (Karnataka)
ix.Ranchi (Jharkhand)- Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
x.Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh)- Delhi(Nizamuddin)
PM also flagged off the extension of 4 Vande Bharat trains:
i.Ahmedabad- Jamnagar Vande Bharat is extended till Dwarka (Gujarat)
ii.Ajmer (Rajasthan)- Delhi Sarai Rohilla Vande Bharat is extended till Chandigarh
iii.Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh)- Lucknow Vande Bharat is being extended till Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh)
iv.Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)- Kasargod Vande Bharat is being extended till Mangaluru (Karnataka)
- He also inaugurated two new passenger trains between Asansol (West Bengal) and Hatia (Jharkhand), Tirupati ( Andhra Pradesh) and Kollam (Kerala) stations.
Note: 1st Vande Bharat train was flagged off in September, 2022, connecting Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar.
- At present, Indian Railways operates 41 Vande Bharat Express services which connects states with Broad Gauge(BG) electrified networks. So far, it has covered 24 states and 256 districts.
PM laid the foundation stone of Petrochemicals Complex of Petronet LNG in Gujarat
PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Petrochemicals Complex of Petronet LNG(Liquefied Natural Gas) worth more than Rs 20, 000 crore at Dahej, Gujarat.
i.The complex include Ethane and Propane handling facilities valued at Rs20, 600 crore. It will give boost to Hydrogen production and Polypropylene demand in India.
ii.The Petrochemicals Complex of Petronet LNG is strategically located near the existing LNG regasification terminal. This would result in significant cost savings in both capital expenditure and operational cost of the project.
PM inaugurated Kochrab Ashram and launched Master Plan of Gandhi Ashram Memorial
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Kochrab Ashram and launched the Master Plan of the Gandhi Ashram Memorial at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Note: Kochrab Ashram was 1st Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1915 after coming back from South Africa. It is preserved as a memorial and tourist space by Gujarat Vidyapeeth.
About Master Plan of Gandhi Ashram Memorial:
i.The main focus of the project is to revitalize Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings and philosophy for present and future generations.
ii.The project plans to expand existing 5 acre land to 55 acres.
iii.It proposes to restore existing 36 buildings, out of which 20 buildings which include “Hriday Kunj”which served as Gandhi’s residence will be conserved.
PM inaugurated India’s 1st automobile in-plant railway siding project of Maruti Suzuki in Gujarat
PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated India’s 1st automobile in-plant railway siding project of Maruti Suzuki on 12th March, 2024 from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It is located at Hansalpur, Mehsana district of Gujarat.
Key Points:
i.The project is developed under Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti mission, in partnership with G–RIDE (Gujarat- Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation), GIDC(Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) and MSIL(Maruti Suzuki India Limited).
Note: GRIDE is a joint venture between the Gujarat Government and Ministry of Railways.
ii.The Project is developed at cost of Rs 976 crore.
- It aims to help MSIL in dispatching and transporting 3 lakh finished cars by train.
iii.A new 2.5 km long rail track has been constructed to connect MSIL plant to Becharaji Railway Station.
iii.The railway line within the Bahucharaji plant was constructed entirely by Maruti Suzuki at cost of Rs 105 crore.
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister (CM): Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel
Governor: Acharya Devvrat
Capital: Gandhinagar
National Park (N.P.): Gir National Park, Marine National Park
