Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Gujarat not only dealt with natural calamities like drought and earthquake but also thwarted conspiracies to defame and stop investments in the state. “Gujarat overrode all of these to chart a new path of progress,” Modi said, while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of development works in Bhuj.
The PM said that in 2001 he had resolved to rebuild Kutch, which suffered unprecedented destruction following the killer quake, and now it has become a reality. He added that he has similarly resolved to make India a developed country by 2047 and hoped that it too turns into a reality.
On the second day of his visit to his home state, Modi launched several projects worth about £440 million in Bhuj, including that of the 2001 earthquake memorial - Smriti Van - to honour those who lost their lives during the calamity. The memorial-cum-museum was envisioned by Modi when he was the chief minister of the state.
More than 13,000 people had died during the January 26, 2001 earthquake in Kutch. Speaking about the Smriti Van Memorial in Bhuj and Veer Bal Smarak at Anjar, Modi said that these were symbols of the shared pain of Kutch, Gujarat and the entire country.
“Amidst the death and destruction of the deadly 2001 Kutch earthquake, I had resolved to rebuild Kutch and we worked hard for it. There were many who said that Kutch will never be able to stand again. It was a challenge for us. But we proclaimed that we will turn disaster into an opportunity and we achieved it. Today, you are witnessing the results,” he said.
Modi said that Gujarat was the first state in the country to enact the Disaster Management Act. “Based on Gujarat’s law, similar laws were enacted for the entire country. Today, the Act has helped every government in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the PM said.
Self-reliant to meet energy needs
India must become self-reliant to meet its energy needs over the next 25 years, said PM Modi, while addressing the commemoration ceremony marking 40 years of Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) in India held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. SMC announced investments worth £1.04 billion in Gujarat. PM Modi also laid the foundation of an EV manufacturing plant in Hansalpur and an EV battery manufacturing unit. According to the PM, electric vehicles are ushering a silent revolution to India.
No power can stop khadi
Making a fervent pitch for promoting and embracing khadi, PM Modi said on Saturday that no power can stop khadi from going global. He was speaking at ‘Khadi Utsav’ on the banks of the Sabarmati, where a record was created with 7,500 women simultaneously spinning charkhas to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence. Modi himself spun a charkha on this occasion. “We must take pride in our heritage and the world will respect it. During the freedom struggle, khadi offered the inspiration to fulfil the promise of a developed and self-reliant India. ” He added: “I foresee the day when khadi will be available at all leading clothing outlets of the world. ” Commenting on the Union government’s projects such as ‘Khadi for Transformation’, ‘Khadi for Nation’, and ‘Khadi for Fashion ’, Modi said that successful experiments with khadi have been implemented across the country.
