Key Highlights

  • Big launch: PM Narendra Modi launched and dedicated projects worth more than Rs 14,000 crore in Banaskantha district.
  • Two trains: He flagged off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU service.
  • Dairy push: He inaugurated the Rs 328.77 crore Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre, India’s first facility for the Kankrej breed.
  • Metro and roads: He laid foundation stones for Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2A and 2B and for the Rs 2,600 crore eight-lane widening of Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road.
  • Farm infrastructure: He dedicated 521 Agriculture Infrastructure Fund projects worth around Rs 4,950 crore to the nation.

Bhildi, Oct 30 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched and dedicated development projects worth more than Rs 14,000 crore in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district and flagged off two train services. The projects cover agriculture, animal husbandry, transport and infrastructure.

Dairy and Farming at the Core

The centrepiece of the day was the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre at Bhildi. The 127-acre facility, built at a cost of Rs 328.77 crore, is a Centre of Excellence for bovine breeding, genetic improvement and advanced reproductive technologies. It is the country’s first facility dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed, an indigenous breed of Gujarat. It is expected to speed up breed improvement by 10-20 times.

Earlier, PM Modi visited the Embryo Transfer Technology-In Vitro Fertilisation (ET-IVF) Laboratory and interacted with women dairy farmers. In a post on X before the inauguration, he said the centre would help farmers get higher milk production per animal, better-quality breeds and higher incomes. “Its benefits would extend to dairy farmers across the country,” he had said.

He also inaugurated the expansion of Banas Dairy’s potato processing plant at Sanadar and commissioned an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) for ultra-high-temperature (UHT) products at Palanpur. He laid the foundation stones for two Banas Dairy compressed biogas plants at Tharad and Radhanpur, which will process 75 metric tonnes and 100 metric tonnes of cattle dung per day, respectively, and turn dairy waste into cleaner fuel.

Taken together, these projects cover the whole dairy value chain, from better breeds and milk yields to processing, storage and waste-to-energy. That is why Banaskantha matters to Gujarat’s rural economy.

He also dedicated 521 completed projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, worth around Rs 4,950 crore. They include cold storage, cold chains, warehouses, silos, polyhouses, greenhouses and processing facilities. He also marked the start of on-ground work in 12 approved horticulture clusters covering about 1.46 lakh hectares, which are expected to benefit more than 1.3 lakh farmers. Two of these clusters in North Gujarat will focus on potatoes.

Trains, Metro and Highway Upgrades

In transport, PM Modi flagged off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU service. The two services will strengthen rail links between Gujarat and other parts of the country and improve local connectivity in North Gujarat.

He laid the foundation stone for Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2A and Phase 2B. Phase 2A will extend the network by more than 6 km, with five stations between Koteshwar Road and Ahmedabad airport. Phase 2B will cover over 3.3 km, with three stations between GIFT City and Shahpur. The airport and GIFT City links could make daily travel easier for air passengers and professionals.

Another major project is the widening of Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road, or State Highway 41, from four lanes to eight at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore. It will improve road links between Ahmedabad and North Gujarat.

Anganwadis and What’s Next

In social infrastructure, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centres and inaugurated 361 completed centres across Gujarat. The initiative involves an investment of Rs 800 crore and is expected to benefit more than four lakh people.

The projects were launched during PM Modi’s two-day Gujarat visit on October 30 and 31. He will next travel to Ekta Nagar in Narmada district for the ‘Bharat Parv’ and Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations, which mark the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

(With inputs from IANS)