New Delhi: PM Modi will inaugurate Smritivan at Bhuj in Kutch region of Gujarat on August 28th. Smritivan celebrates the spirit of resilience shown by the people of Gujarat following the 2001 earthquake.
Smritivan is a museum built as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the earthquake on January 26, 2001. The earthquake killed over 12,000 people in Kutch. The memorial carries the names of the people who had lost their lives during the earthquake. Mr. Modi had resolved to build a museum during his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat.
The museum is spread over 11,500 square meters and has eight blocks and a gallery, along with a simulator theatre. The state-of-the-art Smritivan Earthquake Museum is segregated into seven blocks based on seven themes — rebirth, rediscover, restore, rebuild, rethink, relive and renew.
Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate ‘Veer Balak Smarak’, a memorial in Kutch as a tribute to 185 schoolchildren and 20 teachers killed during the earthquake.
Mr. Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around 4,400 crore rupees in Bhuj. PM arrived in Ahmedabad on August 27th on a two-day visit to Gujarat. Mr. Modi yesterday attended the ‘Khadi Utsav’ event in Ahmedabad. As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Khadi Utsav is being organised to pay tribute to khadi and its importance during the freedom struggle. Prime Minister also tried his hands on charkha.
The Utsav is being organized at Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad. Around 7,500 women khadi artisans from various districts of Gujarat participated in the event. The event witnessed the women spinning charkha live at the same time and at the same place.
Mr. Modi also inaugurated the pedestrian-only ‘Atal Bridge’ on the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad city. The bridge, having an eye-catching design and LED lighting, is nearly 300m long and 14m wide in the middle. It connects the flower garden on the western-end of the riverfront and the upcoming arts and culture centre on the eastern-end.
Addressing the gathering at Khadi Utsav at Sabarmati Riverfront, Prime Minister has said that khadi can be the inspiration to achieve the dream of a developed and self-reliant India.
PM said Khadi was made the symbol of the country\’s self-respect by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom movement. He said, however, that the same Khadi was seen as inferior after the country’s Independence.
Mr. Modi said that since 2014, the production of Khadi has increased four-fold. He said as many as one crore 75 lakh new jobs have been created in the cottage industry in the last eight years.
The PM also highlighted the importance of khadi in the empowerment of rural women. He appealed to citizens to adopt a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle by wearing khadi.
