PM Modi Begins Gujarat Visit With Roadshow Joined By Colonel Sofiya Qureshi’s Family

The family of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the two female military officers who briefed the nation on India's cross-border counter-terror operations under Operation Sindoor, took part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Vadodara, Gujarat, on Monday.

Colonel Qureshi's parents, Taj Mohammad and Halima Qureshi, greeted Prime Minister Modi as thousands of people lined the streets during the roadshow, which began at Vadodara's Harni Airport and featured traditional cultural performances, reported the Hindustan Times.

Photo Credit: ANI

More than 50,000 people were expected to attend another roadshow in Ahmedabad later that same day - the first day of Modi's two-day visit to his home state following the Operation Sindoor strikes.

Hoardings have been erected across Ahmedabad, lauding the armed forces' achievements during the operation.

During the visit, Modi is set to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for development initiatives valued at over ₹82,950 crore in Dahod, Bhuj, and Gandhinagar.

Officials confirmed that in Bhuj - one of the areas targeted by Pakistani drone strikes in retaliation for India's cross-border operation - Modi will unveil 33 projects worth ₹53,414 crore.

These include improvements to Kandla Port infrastructure, investments in solar energy, power transmission systems, and roads and buildings.

In Kharod, Dahod, the Prime Minister will launch a range of projects, including railway expansion, water supply, roadworks, urban infrastructure, housing schemes, and buildings, totalling over ₹24,000 crore.

This includes the inauguration of a new Locomotive Manufacturing Shop, developed at a cost of ₹21,405 crore, along with India's first 9000 HP locomotive engine.

Modi will also open railway projects worth ₹2,287 crore.

These comprise the doubling of key lines such as Anand-Godhra, Mehsana-Palanpur, and Rajkot-Hadmatiya, the electrification of the 107-km Sabarmati-Botad line, and the gauge conversion of the Kalol-Kadi-Katosan section.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Gandhinagar, as well as more than 22,000 housing units built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, collectively worth ₹1,006 crore.

He will also lay the foundation stones for several new facilities, including a new 1800-bed inpatient block with an outpatient department in Ahmedabad, and a 500-bed infectious diseases unit.

As part of urban development funding, Modi will distribute cheques totalling ₹2,731 crore to 17 municipal corporations and ₹569 crore to 149 municipalities under the Swarnim Jayanti Mukhyamantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana for infrastructure-related works.