PM Modi inaugurates development projects worth Rs 426.71 crore in Gujarat to strengthen tourism and civic infrastructure around the Statue of Unity. (Img: X)
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a series of development projects in Gujarat, while several other significant political, national and crime-related developments were reported across the country. The day's major headlines included a fatal factory fire in Delhi's Mangolpuri, the Opposition's proposed symbolic impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the successful launch of ISRO's navigation satellite and the arrest of nine people in connection with the murder of a shop owner in Odisha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated 23 development projects involving an expenditure of Rs 307.83 crore at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat's Narmada district. He also laid the foundation stones for eight additional projects estimated to cost Rs 118.88 crore.
The combined investment in the projects stands at Rs 426.71 crore. The initiatives are aimed at strengthening tourism facilities and civic infrastructure in the vicinity of the Statue of Unity. Among the key attractions inaugurated were a Rs 50-crore IRCTC hotel, the Ekta Cruise, a rainforest attraction, an eco-trail, travelators, electric buses and sewage and water treatment facilities.
The upcoming projects include a road connecting Gora and Bhanadra, besides an integrated solid waste management facility. The Prime Minister also paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 151st birth anniversary. The occasion is observed nationally as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) following the successful launch of the GSLV-F18 rocket carrying the NVS-03 navigation satellite.
The mission is expected to strengthen India's indigenous satellite navigation system, NavIC, and improve the continuity and reliability of navigation services. Weighing approximately 2,232 kg, NVS-03 is part of the next-generation navigation satellite series under the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
The satellite incorporates an indigenous atomic clock and introduces the L1 frequency signal alongside the existing L5 and S-band signals. The development is expected to enhance NavIC's capabilities and further India's self-reliance in critical space technologies.
