Namaskar,

My colleague in the Council of Ministers and Gandhinagar MP Shri Amit Shah ji, Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnav ji, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ji, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Bhai, Union Minister of State for Railways Smt. Darshana Jardosh ji, other ministers of Gujarat government, my colleague in Parliament and Gujarat Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party president Shri CR Patil ji, other MPs, MLAs, and my dear brothers and sisters, Greetings to all of you.

This day is a great symbol of the aspirations of 21st century India, the spirit and potential of young India. Be it science and technology, better urban landscape or modern infrastructure of connectivity, today another link is being added to the new identity of New India. I have inaugurated all the projects from Delhi, but I cannot express my eagerness to visit them in person. I will come to see the projects myself as soon as I get the opportunity.

Brothers and sisters,

Today the goal of the country is not only to build the structures of concrete, but today such infrastructure is being developed in the country which has its own character. Better public space is an urgent requirement which was never thought of before. In our urban planning of the past, it was associated with luxury. You must have also noticed that the focus of the promotion of real estate and housing companies is – the park facing house or the house around the particular public space of the society. This happens because a large population of our cities has been deprived of quality public space and public life. Now the country is moving towards modernityleaving behind the old approach of urban development.

Friends,

Who can forget the condition of Sabarmati in Ahmedabad? Besides the flowing river, there are services like riverfront, park, open gym, sea plane etc. available there now. In fact, the whole ecosystem has changed. The same change has been brought about in Kankaria. It was never imagined before that a lake in old Ahmedabad would become the center of such hustle and bustle.

Friends,

For the natural development of children, along with entertainment, their learning and creativity should also get space. Science City is a project that combines recreation and creativity. It has such recreational activities that promote creativity in children. It has sports, fun games and at the same time it is also a platform to teach children something new. We have seen that children often demand robots and big animal toys from parents. Some children request for a dinosaur in the house, while some others insist on keeping a lion. From where will the parents get all this? Children get this option in Science City. The new nature park is going to be very much liked, especially by my little friends. The Aquatics Gallery built in the Science City will be very amusing. It is one of the top aquariums not only in the country but also in Asia. The sight of marine biodiversity from all over the world at one place will be a wonderful experience in itself.

At the same time, interacting with robots in Robotics Gallery is not only the center of attraction, but it will also inspire our youth to work in the field of robotics and will instill curiosity in the child's mind. Our young friends will be able to get the experience of how robots can be useful in many fields like medicine, agriculture, space, defence, etc. And of course, nobody will be able to resist the experience of a robotic chef at Robo Cafe and the pleasure of eating the food served by the robot waiters. When I posted pictures of them on social media yesterday, I came across comments that such pictures were seen only in foreign countries. People cannot believe that these pictures are from India, from Gujarat. Through this program, I urge that more and more children and students should come to the Science City, and there should be regular tours by schools. The significance and grandeur of the Science City will increase further if it continues to sparkle with children.

Friends,

It is a matter of great happiness for me that many such projects which will enhance the pride of Gujarat and its people have been inaugurated today. Today, along with Ahmedabad city, the rail connectivity of Gujarat has also become more modern and vigorous. Many congratulations to the people of Gujarat for the new facilities, be it the renovation of Gandhinagar and Vadnagar stations, widening and electrification of Mahesana-Varetha line, electrification of Surendranagar-Pipavav section, commencement of Gandhinagar Capital-Varetha MEMU service, or the launch of Gandhinagar Capital-Varanasi Superfast Express. The train between Gandhinagar and Banaras is like connecting the land of Somnath with that of Vishwanath.

Brothers and sisters,

The needs of 21st century India could not be met by 20th century modus operandi. Therefore, there was a need for fresh reforms in the railways. We started developing the railways not just as a service but as an asset. Today its results are visible.The identity and credibility of Indian Railways has started changing. Today, along with convenience, Indian Railways boasts of cleanliness, safety and speed. Efforts are being made to increase the speed of trains either through the modernization of infrastructure or introduction of new modern trains. The speed of trains will increase furtheras soon as the dedicated freight corridors become operational in the days to come. Modern trains like Tejas and Vande Bharat are already operational. These trains are giving a new and wonderful experience to the passengers. You must have also seen the video of Vistadomecoaches on social media.

Those who visited the Statue of Unity would have taken advantage of it. These coaches take the ease and feel of the journey to a new dimension. Those travelling on trains are now experiencing the cleanliness of our trains, platforms and tracks. More than two lakh bio-toilets which have been installed in the coaches contribute to it.

Similarly, major railway stations across the country are being modernized. Railway stations in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are also now equipped with Wi-Fi facilities. From the safety point of view, unmanned railway crossings on broad gauge have been completely eliminated. Indian Railways, once dominated in the media for horrific accidents and complaints of disorder, today brings positivity. Today Indian Railways is talked about for the world's latest network and mega projects. Today both the experience and perspective of looking at Indian Railways is changing. And I will proudly say that these projectsare a glimpse of this new avatar of Indian Railways.

Friends,

I am of the view that horizontal expansion of railways is necessaryfor the railways to reach every nook and corner of the country. Along with this, vertical expansion is equally important for capacity and resource building, new technology and better services in railways. Excellent tracks, modern railway stations and the experiment of a luxurious hotel atop the rail track in Gandhinagar Railway Station mark the beginning of a meaningful change in the Indian Railways. Modern and convenient railway stations are being readied in Gandhinagar and the country so that the common man travelling by train can also enjoy airport-like facilities and there are better arrangements for women and small children.

Friends,

The new railway station of Gandhinagar also reflects the change in the mindset regarding infrastructure in the country. For a long time, a class distinction was encouraged in India regarding infrastructure. I would like to tell you, the people of Gujarat know very well, we carried out an experiment when I got an opportunity to serve Gujarat.We worked towards modernizing the bus stations on the public-private partnership model. Given the dilapidated condition of the bus stations earlier, today many bus stations in our Gujarat have become modern. Facilities like airports are visible at bus stations.

When I came to Delhi, I sent the railway officials to see the bus stations of Gujarat and told them why our railway stations should not be like this. The railways can become a centre of economy and not just a medium of train movement if there is optimum utilization of land use and a lot of economic activity at the railway stations. We are moving in the direction of developing railway stations on the Public-Private Partnership model in the same way the airport is developed and the bus stations have been developed in Gujarat.Gandhinagar is the beginning. Classification of public facilities that this is meant for a particular class or the rich is rubbish. Facilities should be made available to every section of the society.

Friends,

The modern railway station of Gandhinagar is also a proof that the railways can also be made a center of economic activitiesby utilizing the resources. Using modern technology, a hotel has been built above the track, from where the train can be seen but not felt. The amount of land is same, but its use has doubled. Facility is also excellent and it is good for tourism and business also. What can be the better prime location from where the train passes?

The grand view of Mahatma Mandir and Dandi Kutirfrom this railway station is also amazing. It will also become a tourist spot for the people visiting Dandi Kutir Museum or Vibrant Gujarat Summit. The significance of Mahatma Mandir has also increased manifold with the transformation of the railway station near it. Now people will use this hotel to hold small conferences and will also visit Mahatma Mandir. In a way, there is now arrangement for public events throughout the year. You can imagine its use by the people from India and abroad as it is just a 20-minute drive from the airport. 

Brothers and sisters,

Imagine the unseen possibilities given the vast network of the railways all over the country with so many resources. Friends, the role of railways has always been prominent in a vast country like India. The railways also carry new dimensions of development and facilities along with it. It is the effort of the last few years that today rail is reaching the capitals of the North East for the first time and very soon Srinagar will also be connected to Kanyakumari through rail. Today Vadnagar has also become a part of this expansion. I have so many memories attached to Vadnagar station. The new station looks really attractive. With the construction of this new broad gauge line, the Vadnagar-Modhera-Patan heritage circuit is now connected with better rail service. It has direct connectivity to the Ahmedabad-Jaipur-Delhi main line. With the introduction of this line, along with convenience, new opportunities for employment and self-employment have also opened up in this entire region.

Friends,

While the Mahesana-Varetha line connects us to our heritage, the electrification of the Surendranagar-Pipavav line connects us to the future of Indian Railways. This is one of the projects which has been completed in the shortest time in the history of Indian Railways. This rail line is an important port connectivity route as well as a feeder route for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. This rail route is going to ensure smooth movement of double stack container goods trains from Pipavav Port to the northern parts of the country.

Friends,

Spending less time and cost, and better convenience is the priority of 21st century India today whether it is travel or goods transport. Therefore, today the country is moving towards multimodal connectivity. A detailed roadmap is being worked out in this regard. I am sure the last mile connectivity will give further impetus to the AatmaNirbhar campaign by connecting different modes of transport.

Friends,

The vehicle of development of New India will move forward only by moving on two tracks simultaneously. One track is of modernity, the other track is for the welfare of the poor, farmers and middle class.That is why today so much work is being done on the creation of the Next Generation Infrastructure in India, while also ensuring that the poor, farmers and middle class get their benefits.

Brothers and sisters,

In between these works of development in Gujarat and the country, we also have to take care of the pandemic like Corona. In the last one-and-a-half years, the biggest pandemic of 100 years has affected the lives of all of us. Corona infection has taken away many friends from us untimely. But as a nation, we are fighting it with all our might. Gujarat has also worked very diligently to stop the pace of infection from increasing.

Now we have to keep the rate of corona infection down by our conduct and following the mantra of testing, tracking, treatment and vaccination. So there is a need to be very careful and cautious. Along with this, we need to continuously speed up the process of vaccination. I am happy that Gujarat is about to reach the milestone of three crore vaccinations. The information that the Central Government has started sharing on the availability of vaccines in advance has helped Gujarat in formulating a central level strategy in regard to vaccination. With everyone's efforts, we will be able to achieve our goals related to vaccinations faster.With the same belief, once again many congratulations to all of you for the new projects!

Thanks!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VK/AK