PM Modi’s Gujarat Visit: Huge Crowd at Banaskantha Roadshow, India’s First Kankrej Centre Opens

It will be the country’s first facility of its kind dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, it is expected to speed up breed improvement by 10-20 times.

Before the inauguration, PM Modi highlighted the centre in a post on X. He said it would help increase milk production per animal, improve breed quality and raise farmers’ incomes, while also supporting the conservation of indigenous cattle breeds.

The location matters. Dairy is a major source of rural income in Banaskantha, and the district’s cooperative, Banas Dairy, is among the best known in the country. Together, the breeding centre and the PM-KISAN payout send a clear message about farm incomes.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stones for two Banas Dairy Bio-CNG plants at Tharad and Radhanpur. They will process 75 metric tonnes and 100 metric tonnes of cattle dung per day, respectively. The plants turn livestock waste into clean fuel, which links dairy farming with the energy sector.

Metro, Roads, Rail and Anganwadis on the List

The projects go well beyond agriculture. They include the expansion of Ahmedabad Metro towards the airport and GIFT City, and the widening of the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road from four to eight lanes at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore. Another 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centres will be developed.

PM Modi will also dedicate 521 completed projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, with a combined cost of around Rs 4,950 crore. He will flag off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU services, which will improve rail links for north Gujarat.

Later in the day, the Prime Minister will travel to Ekta Nagar in Narmada district. There he will inaugurate ‘Bharat Parv 2026’ and witness ‘Ekta Prakash Parv’ as part of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

(With inputs from IANS)