Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to unveil 18 Railway projects during his June 18 visit to Gujarat and also address a rally in Vadodara city. He is also expected to launch the state's nutritional program for pregnant women in tribal districts, state education minister Jitu Vaghani said on Monday.
This is Modi's second visit to his home state, where elections are due in December this year, after eight days. He had visited the state on June 10. PM Modi will visit the Mahakali Mataji temple at Pavagadh in the Panchmahals district on June 18 and then visit the 'Virasat Van.' Thereafter, he will address a public rally, 'Gujarat Gaurav Abhiyan', in Vadodara city, said Vaghani. "Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 18 projects of the Indian Railways worth Rs 16,369 crore," Vaghani told reporters.
On June 10, the prime minister had addressed a rally at Navsari and inaugurated the headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), in Ahmedabad. During his upcoming visit, the prime minister will also inaugurate Palanpur-Madar Dedicated Freight Corridor, flag off the Ahmedabad-Botad passenger train, and lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Surat, Udhna, Somnath, and Sabarmati railway stations and gauge conversion, among others, said Vaghani.
The PM also will provide benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Aavas Yojana to 8,907 beneficiaries and will expand the Gujarat government's "Poshan Sudha Yojana," launched on a pilot basis in 2017-18, to more areas, he said. The scheme, which aims to provide nutritional benefits to pregnant women, was launched on an experimental basis in 2017-18. Pregnant and lactating women registered at Anganwadis are provided one-time food as well as iron and calcium pills and health nutrition education under this scheme.
A spot feeding program is currently underway across 10 ICDS in five tribal districts of Dahod, Valsad, Mehisagar, Chhota Udepur, and Narmada. The government plans to expand it across the remaining tribal regions of the state from 2022 to 23, Vaghani said. "The state has allocated Rs 118 crore for the scheme for 2022-23, and an estimated 1.15 lakh beneficiaries will be covered every month. The implementation of this scheme will reduce the rate of low birth weight of infants and improve the nutritional level of mothers and newborns," he added.
