Banaskantha/Narmada, Oct 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth more than Rs 14,000 crore in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Friday, while releasing around Rs 19,000 crore as the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, officials said on Thursday.
PM Modi will visit Gujarat on October 30 and 31, with programmes scheduled in Banaskantha and Ekta Nagar’s Kevadia, including the inauguration of a bovine breeding and research centre, expansion of infrastructure, and celebrations marking the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
In Banaskantha, the Prime Minister will dedicate the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi to the nation.
Spread over 127 acres, the facility is designed to strengthen bovine breeding, genetic improvement and advanced reproductive technologies.
It will be the country’s first centre dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed and is expected to accelerate breed improvement by 10-20 times.
He will also lay the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants of Banas Dairy at Tharad and Radhanpur, with capacities to process 75 metric tonnes and 100 metric tonnes of cattle dung per day, respectively.
Among the major infrastructure projects, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for the extension of Ahmedabad Metro Phase-2 to the airport and GIFT City.
The airport extension, designated Phase-2A, will cover more than six km and include five stations between Koteshwar Road and the airport. Phase-2B, extending towards GIFT City, will span over 3.3 km and comprise three stations between GIFT City and Shahpur.
The Prime Minister will also launch the upgradation of Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road, or State Highway-41, from four lanes to eight lanes at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore.
The project is intended to improve connectivity between Ahmedabad and North Gujarat.
In the social infrastructure sector, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centres and inaugurate 361 completed centres across 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 projects completed under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to the nation.
With a combined project cost of around Rs 4,950 crore, these include cold storage facilities, cold chains, warehouses, silos, polyhouses, greenhouses and food-processing infrastructure.
He will also inaugurate the expansion of the potato processing plant at Sanadar and commission an automated storage and retrieval system for ultra-high-temperature products at Palanpur.
The Prime Minister will flag off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU service to strengthen rail connectivity.
He will also mark the start of on-ground activities under 12 approved horticulture clusters covering around 1.46 lakh hectares and expected to benefit more than 1.3 lakh farmers. Two clusters in North Gujarat will focus on potatoes.
The release of the 24th PM-KISAN instalment will provide financial assistance to farmers across the country, with the total disbursement amounting to around Rs 19,000 crore.
On October 30, PM Modi will travel to Ekta Nagar, where he will inaugurate ‘Bharat Parv 2026’ at around 5 p.m.
The festival will showcase the cultural heritage of states and Union Territories through folk performances, regional cuisines, handicrafts and tourism attractions.
It will continue until November 15. The Prime Minister will later witness ‘Ekta Prakash Parv’, a festival of illumination highlighting India’s cultural diversity and national unity, followed by the Narmada Aarti.
The light displays include a 530-metre-long illuminated stretch along Valley of Flowers Road, themed ‘From Ancient India to Modern India’, and a 180-metre-long Glow Tunnel showcasing the cultures and traditions of the country’s four regions.
More than 1.5 crore LED lights have been used in the displays, with artworks created by artists from across India.
On October 31, PM Modi will offer floral tributes at the Statue of Unity before inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for projects worth more than Rs 400 crore in Ekta Nagar.
The works include a sewage and water treatment plant, facade lighting, the upgradation of Narmada Ghat, an IRCTC hotel and the Rainforest, Unity and Eco Trail.
He will also lay the foundation stone for projects involving the development of Gora-Bhandra Road, an integrated zero-waste smart solid waste management system, Khalwani eco-tourism and integrated development of the Cactus and Butterfly Garden.
The Prime Minister will subsequently visit the Rain Forest and Vaman Vriksha Vatika before attending the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at around 5:30 p.m.
The celebrations commemorating Sardar Patel’s 151st birth anniversary will feature a parade by the Central Armed Police Forces, state police forces and central police organisations.
This year’s parade will place particular emphasis on security forces’ 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 around 2,000 artists from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
The performance will depict the challenges faced by communities in these regions and their journey towards peace, security and development.
The overarching theme of this year’s ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ celebrations will be ‘Vande Mataram’.
The tableaux and cultural performances will highlight patriotism, national pride, the cultural diversity of states and Union Territories, and their development journeys.
A separate cultural presentation featuring around 5,000 artists from across India will showcase the country’s classical and folk traditions, music, dance and artistic heritage.
–IANS
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