Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a two-day visit to Gujarat on Friday, launching and laying the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 14,400 crore, with programmes centred on Banaskantha district and Ekta Nagar in Narmada district.

The visit combines agriculture, dairy, transport and rural infrastructure with a nationwide farm payment: the Prime Minister will release around Rs 19,000 crore as the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, which the government says will reach more than nine crore farmer families across the country.

Dairy and cattle breeding in Banaskantha

In Banaskantha, Mr. Modi will dedicate the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi to the nation. The 127-acre centre focuses on bovine breeding, genetic improvement and reproductive technologies, and Mr. Modi is also scheduled to visit its cattle farm and embryo-transfer laboratory on Friday morning.

Mr. Modi has said the centre will help farmers through more milk per animal, better quality breeds and higher incomes, while supporting the conservation of indigenous cattle breeds such as Kankrej. He will also lay the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants being developed by Banas Dairy at Tharad and Radhanpur, processing 75 and 100 metric tonnes of cattle dung a day respectively, linking dairy work with cleaner fuel.

Agriculture infrastructure and farm support

The Prime Minister will dedicate 521 projects completed under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to the nation, with a combined project cost of around Rs 4,950 crore. They include cold storage, warehouses, silos, polyhouses and food-processing infrastructure. He will also launch 12 approved horticulture clusters covering about 1.46 lakh hectares and expected to benefit more than 1.3 lakh farmers.

Metro, rail and social infrastructure

On infrastructure, Mr. Modi will lay the foundation stone for the extension of Ahmedabad Metro Phase-2 towards the airport and GIFT City, Gujarat's flagship financial hub. The airport extension, designated Phase-2A, will cover more than six kilometres and include five stations between Koteshwar Road and the airport. He will also widen the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road from four to eight lanes at about Rs 2,600 crore, and flag off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and a Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU service.

In social infrastructure, he will lay the foundation stone for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centres and inaugurate 361 completed centres across Gujarat, at about Rs 800 crore, expected to benefit more than four lakh people.

Ekta Nagar and Unity Day

Later on Friday, Mr. Modi will travel to Ekta Nagar, near the Statue of Unity, to inaugurate Bharat Parv 2026, a cultural festival showcasing states and Union Territories. On Saturday, he will offer floral tributes at the Statue of Unity and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth more than Rs 400 crore in Ekta Nagar, including water treatment, Narmada Ghat upgrades, an IRCTC hotel and new trails.

The visit concludes with Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations on October 31, marking the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.