PM Modi inaugurates projects worth over Rs 60,000 cr in Gujarat; underlines spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas'

New Delhi [India], February 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dedicated, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several developmental projects in his home state, Gujarat.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the country's first PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (MITRA) Park at Vansi Borsi village in Gujarat's Navsari.
The establishment of the 'PM MITRA Park aims to bolster the textiles sector. The central government, earlier last year, announced the sites for setting up seven 'PM MITRA Parks for the textile industry. The parks will come up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
The PM MITRA Parks is a major step forward in realising the government's vision of making India a global hub for textile manufacturing and exports.
It is expected that these parks will enhance the competitiveness of the textiles industry by helping it achieve economies of scale as well as attract global players to manufacture in India.
'PM MITRA' Parks will help in creating world-class industrial infrastructure that will attract large-scale investment, including foreign direct investment (FDI), and encourage innovation and job creation within the sector.
PM Modi said that PM MITRA Park will give a boost to the textile sector and also generate employment for thousands of people.
While addressing the gathering after a mega road show in Navsari district, PM Modi said, "The PM MITRA Park is the first such park in the country for the textile sector which will boost the textile industry and contribute to increasing India's share in textile exports."
Adding further, the Prime Minister asked the gathering, "Can you imagine the diamond of Surat and Navsari's garments, How big will Gujarat be in the world's fashion market, Will Gujarat be hailed everywhere or not.
"Reacting to the chants of Prime Minister Modi, the Prime Minister said, "Will the echo of Gujarat be heard or not? Today, India has started competing with the world's largest producers and exporters in this sector and Gujarat's textile industry has made a huge contribution to this.
"Before addressing the people of Navsari at the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted everyone with the classic phrase 'Kem Cho', which translates to "How are you."
After having greeted the gathering, the Prime Minister said, "This is my third event in Gujarat. This morning I met in Ahmedabad with people associated with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. I got the chance to see them and talk to them."
"After that, I had the good fortune of attending the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Valinath Mandir in Mehsana and now here in Navsari, I am participating in this celebration of development among all of you," said the PM.
The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth more than Rs 13,500 crore in Tarabh, Mahesana, Gujarat.
The projects encompass a wide range of sectors such as internet connectivity, rail, road, education, health, connectivity, research and tourism, the Prime Minister's Office said.
He also performed the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Lord Shiva at the Valinath Mahadev Temple in Mahesana at around 12:45 p.m.
The Valinath Shiv Dham is the second biggest Shiv Dham in Gujarat, after the Somnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
For India and the world, the Prime Minister noted that Valinath Shiv Dham is a pilgrimage site but it is an auspicious seat of the Guru for the Rewari society and devotees from around the country.
The Prime Minister underscored the importance of the present moment in the development journey of India as both the 'Dev Kaaj' (divine works) and 'Desh kaaj' (national tasks) are going on at a rapid pace.
"On the one hand, this auspicious event has taken place and development works worth 13,000 crore Rs were dedicated or foundation stones were laid, on the other", PM Modi said.
"These rail, road, port, transport, water, security, urban development and tourism projects will increase ease of living and create new job opportunities for the youth of the region," he added.
Observing the presence of divine energy in the pious land of Mehsana, the Prime Minister said that it connects the people with the spiritual consciousness of thousands of years associated with Lord Krishna and Lord Mahadev. This energy, PM Modi said, connects the people with the journey of Gadipati Mahant Veeram-Giri Bapu ji as he paid tribute to him.
He also bowed before Mahant Shri Jayaramgiri Bapu for forwarding the resolve of Gadipati Mahant Baldevgiri Bapu and accomplishing it. Highlighting his four-decade-old deep connection with Baldevgiri Bapu ji, the Prime Minister recalled welcoming him to his residence on numerous occasions as the then Chief Minister of Gujarat to awaken the spiritual consciousness.
He also recalled his demise in 2021 and emphasized that his departed soul would be blessing everyone today after the accomplishments of his resolve.
"The centuries-old temple has been completed with the magnificence of the 21st century and the divinity of the ancient traditions", the Prime Minister said as he highlighted the contributions and efforts of hundreds of craftsmen and shramjeevis.
He lauded their efforts for the successful consecration of Valinath Mahadev, Hinglaj Mata and Lord Dattatreya and congratulated them on the occasion.
The Prime Minister talked about the spirit of Sabka Saath Vikas ingrained in Valinath Dham and said that, in sync with this spirit, the government is committed to making the lives of every section better.
"Goal of Modi's guarantee is to transform the life of the person on the last pedestal of the society", he said. He juxtaposed the coming of new temples with the construction of pucca houses for crores of poor, recalling dedication and foundation stone laying for 1.25 lakh houses recently.
He also mentioned free ration for 80 crore citizens as 'Bhagwan ka Prasad', and piped water for 10 crore new families as 'Amrit'.
The Prime Minister highlighted the government's efforts towards the development of heritage sites in Gujarat, apart from infrastructure development, in the last two decades.
He lamented the conflict created between development and heritage in India for decades, the auspicious Somnath Temple becoming a site of dispute, neglect of the site of Pavagadh, vote bank politics of the Sun Temple in Modhera, questioning the existence of Lord Ram and creating obstacles in the development of his temple.
The Prime Minister, at around 10:45 a.m., also attended the golden jubilee celebrations of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Founded in 1946, Amul is an Indian multinational cooperative society under the ownership of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited, Department of Cooperation, Gujarat.
Dedicated to the interests of farmers and livestock farmers, Amul has revolutionised the dairy sector. The Amul team is always on the field to provide proper training, seeds, milk procurement, artificial insemination and a scientific approach to animal husbandry.
At present, Gujarat's dairy industry has grown to over Rs 1 lakh crore and Rs 200 crore is paid daily to 36 lakh milk producers under the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).
The Prime Minister also visited the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Surat, earlier today, where he launched the new Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) in the district.
Built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), at a cost of more than Rs 22,500 crore, the KAPS-3 and KAPS-4 projects have a cumulative capacity of 1400 megawatts and are the largest indigenous PHWRs, according to an official release.
As per the official release, the PHWRs are first-of-its-kind reactors with advanced safety features comparable to the best in the world.
"The two reactors will produce about 10.4 billion units of clean electricity per year and benefit consumers of multiple states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh, Goa and UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu," said the release.