Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Gujarat last week, to welcome the arrival of Narmada waters in Rajkot's Aji dam. The water reaching the dam, comes as boon to people in the city of Saurashtra region, most of whom are struck by water woes. Facing deficient rains, Aji dam has only overflown 11 times in the last 40 years.
Modi formally welcomed Narmada dam water, reminiscing his initial days after taking over as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001. “We have filled the dams today... a government which works with right intention to bring change in the lives of common man succeeds. We have travelled this far due to hard work and good intention,” he said, crediting the state government for ensuring 24-hour electricity and water supply to the dried up lands. Modi said the steady supply of water in dams in Saurashtra region connected under SAUNI Yojana will help farmers reach new heights of prosperity.
“Water has reached here but with it, the responsibility has also increased. I would like to tell people of Gujarat that this is not just water but a source of prosperity. This water is like 'prasad' of God. We will have to save water. And I would beg you to save water,” the PM said, urging people to use water judiciously. “Farmers in Kutch have adopted drip irrigation and have changed the face of farming in the arid land. Farmers here too should adopt drip irrigation so that they produce more by using less water,” he added.
Modi's agenda for the visit included inauguration of several projects. He also released a special postal stamp and commemorative coin to mark the birth anniversary of Shrimad Rajchandra, at the Sabarmati Ashram. Addressing the people present to mark the centenary of Maharma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, Modi spoke on the vile attacks carried out in the name of 'gau raksha'. “Killing people in the name of gau bhakti is not acceptable. This is not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve. It is not the message that Vinobha Bhave’s life would give us. And that is why, on the centenary celebrations of the ashram and the birth anniversary of Shrimadji, I want to say that we are a land of non-violence. We are the land of Mahatma Gandhi. Violence never has and will never solve any problem.”
“I am talking about the present situation in the country and expressing my anger and pain. A country which believes in even feeding an ant, stray dogs and in the morning goes to lakes and feeds fish, a country which has such a culture, a country in which Mahatma has taught us lesson of non-violence. What has happened to us?” he said. “If a patient dies due to an unsuccessful operation, relatives burn down hospitals and beat up doctors. An accident is an accident. When people die or are injured in accidents, a group of people come together and burn vehicles,” he said.
At the Ashram, Modi tried his hand at the charkha, took a tour, and released a special postal stamp and commemorative coin to mark the birth anniversary of Shrimad Rajchandra. Last Friday, the Prime Minister inaugurated the three-day Textiles India 2017 event, the country's first ever mega event for the textile industry, in Gandhinagar in presence of captains of the textile industry, Union ministers and state ministers from Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Assam and Karnataka.
