Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a two-day visit to Gujarat on October 30 and 31, accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
During the visit, he laid the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 14,400 crore (£1.13 billion) across Banaskantha and Ekta Nagar, alongside initiatives in agriculture, transport and social infrastructure. The programme also included the release of the 24th instalment of PM-KISAN, new railway services and celebrations marking the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
In Banaskantha, Modi inaugurated the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi. Spread across 127 acres, the Centre of Excellence will focus on improving bovine breeding, genetics and reproductive technologies, with the aim of accelerating breed improvement by 10-20 times. It is the first facility of its kind in India dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed.
Modi laid the foundation stones for two Banas Dairy Bio-CNG plants at Tharad and Radhanpur, designed to process 75 and 100 metric tonnes of cattle dung daily.
He also dedicated 521 agricultural infrastructure projects worth around Rs 4,950 crore (£389.7 million), including warehouses, cold storage and food-processing facilities, and inaugurated upgrades to potato processing and storage facilities.
Work began on 12 horticulture clusters covering 1.46 lakh hectares, expected to benefit over 1.3 lakh farmers, including potato growers in North Gujarat.
For better connectivity, foundation stones were laid for two Ahmedabad Metro extensions towards the airport and GIFT City. The Ahmedabad–Mehsana highway will also be widened to eight lanes at a cost of Rs 2,600 crore (£204.6 million).
The visit also saw plans for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centres and the inauguration of 361 completed centres under an Rs 800-crore (£63 million) initiative expected to benefit over four lakh people.
Various initiative inauguration in Ekta Nagar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Bharat Parv 2026 at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, as part of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations. Running until November 15, the festival showcased India’s cultural diversity through state and Union Territory pavilions, folk performances, regional cuisines, handicrafts and tourism displays.
Modi also witnessed Ekta Prakash Parv, an illumination festival celebrating India’s unity and heritage. Its highlights included a 530-metre Valley of Flowers Road and a 180-metre Glow Tunnel showcasing the country’s four regions. More than 1.5 crore LED lights featured in displays created by artists from across India, promoting night tourism.
On October 31, he paid floral tributes at the Statue of Unity and inaugurated or launched projects worth over Rs 400 crore (£31.5 million) in Ekta Nagar. These included sewage and water treatment facilities, Narmada Ghat upgrades, an IRCTC hotel and tourism attractions, alongside projects for roads, waste management and eco-tourism.
The day also marked the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel under the theme ‘Vande Mataram’. The Ekta Parade showcased security forces’ role in combating Left-Wing Extremism. A National School of Drama performance on Naxal Mukt Bharat featured 2,000 artists from 126 affected districts, while around 5,000 artists presented India’s classical and folk traditions.
