Modi Launches Rs 14,000 Crore Projects in Banaskantha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stones for, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation development projects worth more than Rs 14,000 crore at Banaskantha in Gujarat on 30 October 2026. The same gathering was used to send out a fresh instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi to small farmers across the country, and the projects announced covered dairying, farm produce, railways, metro rail, highways and child care.

For livestock rearers

A new research centre built in Banaskantha will work under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission on the conservation and scientific breeding of indigenous animals. It will take up the Gir, Sahiwal and Kankrej cattle breeds and the Mehsana, Murrah and Jaffarabadi buffalo breeds, and is the first such facility in the country for the Kankrej breed. In-vitro fertilisation is to be used so that the qualities of a high-yielding animal pass to the next generation. Foundation stones were also laid for two bio-CNG plants, which will turn cattle dung and crop residue into biogas, bio-CNG and organic manure with support from Banas Dairy.

For fruit and vegetable growers

Twelve cluster development projects were approved for tomato, potato, chilli, grapes, banana, onion, orange, pomegranate and cocoa. Two of these clusters have gone to north Gujarat, where potato farming in Banaskantha and Sabarkantha will gain. The capacity of the plant that makes French fries has been raised so that more potatoes can be procured from growers.

Rail, metro and road

Two train services were flagged off: the Ahmedabad-Varanasi Sabarmati Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU service. Foundation stones were laid for the extension of the Ahmedabad Metro towards GIFT City and the airport. The Ahmedabad-Mehsana highway is to be widened from four lanes to eight lanes.

For children and mothers

More than 4,000 modern Anganwadi centres were inaugurated across Gujarat on the same day, and about 4 lakh children and pregnant women are expected to use them. The Prime Minister also recalled that a nationwide free vaccination drive for livestock has delivered about 150 crore doses so far, covering animals belonging to over 8 crore farmers, and that average milk yield per animal has risen from under 5 litres in 2013-14 to nearly 8 litres now.