Modi in Gujarat: 'Amul is a name and has its own identity', says PM

Ahmedabad, Sep 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, an Amul chocolate plant and development projects in Rajkot, Anand and Kutch districts.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said that people of Anand have come to bless us in such large numbers. "I thank them for the warmth and affection. Today, development projects worth Rs. 1100 crore are either being inaugurated or their foundation stones are being laid. This will have an extremely positive impact."

Modi said that the development projects augur well for the cooperative sector. He said that the brand of Amul is known world over. "Today, Amul has become an inspiration world over. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment."

Prime Minister said that a century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. "When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing."

Attacking the Congress party in his speech, Modi said that for a long time, "we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives". "They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector."

''In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom,'' says PM Narendra Modi in Anand.

In Rajkot, Modi will inaugurate newly-built Mahatma Gandhi Museum at Alfred High School. The school, from where Gandhi passed his matriculation in 1887, was renamed Mohandas Gandhi High School after independence. It was closed in 2017 after the authorities decided to convert it into a museum.

The prime minister's day-long visit will begin with inauguration of a chocolate plant of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), owner of the Amul brand, at Mogar in Anand district and address a gathering of farmers.

Modi will also dedicate, at Anjar in Kutch district, a natural gas pipeline laid by Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) between Mundra Port and Anjar.

He will also perform ground-breaking ceremony for four-laning work of the highway connecting Varsana, Bhimasar, Anjar and Bhuj towns of Kutch.

(with PTI inputs)