The Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to Gujarat on August 27-28, 2022 to address Khadi Utsav at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. There he inaugurated Smriti Van Memorial in Bhuj, and also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various developmental projects. He also addressed a programme in Gandhinagar, marking the commemoration of 40 years of Suzuki in India.
Khadi Utsav:
i.Held as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, it was organized at Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad. It witnessed 7500 women khadi artisans from various districts of Gujarat spinning charkha live at the same time and at the same place.
ii.It was organized to pay tribute to khadi and its importance during the freedom struggle.
iii.It featured an exhibition showcasing the ‘Evolution of Charkhas’ by displaying 22 Charkhas from different generations used since 1920s including “Yerwada Charkha” which symbolises the charkhas used during the freedom struggle, to the charkhas with latest innovations and technology used today.
Inauguration of new office building & a foot over ‘Atal Bridge’
There, PM also inaugurated the new office building of the Gujarat Rajya Khadi Gramodyog Board and a foot over/Pedestrians-And-Cyclists-Only bridge namely ‘Atal Bridge’ across the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad.
- This 300-metre long and 14 metres wide bridge is a tribute by the local people to former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Key Points:
i.The bridge is built with an eye-catching design and consists of LED (Light-emitting diode) lighting.
ii.It connects the flower garden on the western end of the Sabarmati Riverfront and the upcoming arts and culture centre on the eastern end.
iii.It has been built using 2,600 metric tonnes of steel pipes while the roof is made of colourful fabric and the railing is built with glass and stainless steel.
PM launches and laid foundation stone for various developmental projects worth Rs 5000 crore
The PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 4400 crore in Bhuj. He inaugurated India’s first earthquake memorial, Smriti Van- A State of the art Smriti on seven themes at Bhuj. It is built atop Bhujiyo hill in an area of around 470 acre.
- Smriti Van acknowledges the spirit of resilience shown by the people after the death of around 13,000 people who had lost their lives during the 2001 earthquake which had its epicentre in Bhuj.
- It is segregated in seven blocks based on seven themes: Rebirth, Rediscover, Restore, Rebuild, Rethink, Relive and Rene
- The schemes launched included “Urja Ganga” ,a 2540-km-long gas pipeline which will ensure supply of clean and eco- friendly fuel to at least seven major cities – Varanasi, Patna, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack”.
- Other programmes launched were expansion of Diesel Locomotive Varanasi Postal Region, dedicated a 765/400 KV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) power station based in the varanasi.
- Smriti Van Memorial is at par with 9/11 memorial and Hiroshima Memorial.
Veer Balak Smarak:
He also inaugurated ‘Veer Balak Smarak’ which is also dedicated to 2001 Earthquake Victims in Bhuj. It is a memorial built near Anjar town as a tribute to 185 school children and 20 teachers who were killed during a Republic Day parade on January 26, 2001, when an earthquake hit.
PM Inaugurates Kachchh Branch Canal of Sardar Sarovar Project
He inaugurated the Kachchh Branch Canal of Sardar Sarovar Project. The total length of the Canal is around 357 km. A part of the canal was inaugurated by him in 2017 and the remaining part is being inaugurated now.
- This Canal will help in providing irrigation facilities in Kachchh and drinking water in all 948 villages and 10 towns of the Kachchh district.
Other inaugurations:
i.He inaugurated various other projects as well including New Automatic Milk Processing and Packing Plant of Sarhad Dairy; Regional Science Centre, Bhuj; Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Convention Centre at Gandhidham; Bhuj 2 Substation at Nakhatrana etc.
ii.He laid the foundation stone of various projects worth over Rs. 1500 crores as well, including the Bhuj- Bhimasar Road.
iii.He also inaugurated Narmada canal that will bring water to parched Kutch from the Narmada Sarovar dam in south Gujarat.
vi.Prime Minister also released a commemorative postage stamp on Varanasi City.
Foundation stones of Maruti Suzuki’s new plants in Haryana, Gujarat laid virtually by PM
The PM addressed a programme marking the commemoration of 40 years of Suzuki in India, which was held at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar. During the event, he laid the foundation stones of two key projects of the Suzuki group in India
- Suzuki Motor Gujarat Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing Facility at Hansalpur, Gujarat; and Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming vehicle manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana.
Key Points:
i.The Suzuki Motor Gujarat Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing Facility at Hansalpur, Gujarat will be set-up with an investment of around Rs 7,300 crores to manufacture Advance Chemistry Cell batteries for Electric Vehicles.
ii.The first phase of the project of vehicle manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, Haryanawill be set up with an investment of over Rs 11,000 crore.It can manufacture 10 lakh passenger vehicles per year, making it one of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturing facilities at a single site in the world.
Recent Related News:
i.PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat. It is the 1st and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine across the world.
ii.The PM laid the foundation stone for manufacturing of 9000 HP (Horsepower) Electric Locomotives at the Production Unit in Dahod, Gujarat. The cost of the project is around Rs 20,000 crore.
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister– Bhupendrabhai Patel
Stadium– Bilakhia Stadium, CB Patel International Cricket Stadium, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Stadium
Dance– Tippani, Hudo, Padhar
