Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday offered prayers at the famous temple of Goddess Amba in Ambaji town of Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.

Prime Minister Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the state from Monday, reached Ahmedabad in the morning by an aircraft and then headed to Chikhla, a village near Ambaji, by helicopter.

Thousands of people lined up on both sides of the road when the PM’s convoy reached the temple town of Ambaji.

Prime Minister Modi performed pooja at the temple after being welcomed by local leaders and priests.

After offering prayers at Ambaji, Prime Minister Modi left for Dabhoda village in Kheralu taluka of Mehsana for a public function where he will launch various development projects worth Rs 5,950 crore and address a gathering.

The projects are pertaining to various government departments, including the Indian Railways, Gujarat Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (GRIDE), state water resource and water supply departments, roads and buildings and the urban development departments, a government release said.

The 16 development initiatives to be unveiled by Modi cover districts of Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mahisagar, Gandhinagar and Patan, it said.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi will participate in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas programme at Kevadiya in Narmada district on the birth anniversary of the country’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the culmination of the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign, a tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice for the country, and inaugurate ‘Amrit Vatika’ and ‘Amrit Mahotsav Memorial’ on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary on Tuesday.

The event, to be held on the Kartavya Path here, will also mark the closing of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the launch of the ‘Mera Yuva Bharat’ (MY Bharat) platform for the youth of the country, a statement said.

PM Modi will also address thousands of people who spearheaded the Amrit Kalash Yatras in different parts of the country.

The PMO statement said the Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign is a tribute to the bravehearts who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country.  In the spirit of people’s participation, the campaign comprised many activities and ceremonies conducted across the country, including building of memorials and people taking five pledges first spelt out by PM Modi in his Independence Day speech.

These also included planting saplings of indigenous species, developing ‘Amrit Vatika’ and felicitation ceremonies for honouring the freedom fighters and the families of deceased freedom fighters.

“The campaign became a massive success, with over 2.3 lakh memorials built in 36 states/Union Territories; nearly 4 crore ‘Panch Pran’ pledge selfies uploaded; 2 lakh plus ‘Veeron ka Vandan’ programmes nationwide; more than 2.36 crore indigenous saplings have been planted; and 2.63 lakh Amrit Vatikas created,” the statement said.

The ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign also included the Amrit Kalash Yatra, which comprised collecting soils and rice grains from over six lakh villages and wards in urban areas that were sent to block level (where the soil of all villages in the block was mixed) and then to the state capital.  The soil from the state level was sent to the national capital.

All the states and Union Territories represented by their respective blocks and urban local bodies will be mixing soil in one giant ‘Amrit Kalash’ on Monday, a day before the programme, in the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, it said.

The Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign was envisaged as a culminating event of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav began on March 12, 2021, to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence. It has since witnessed more than two lakh programmes organised throughout the country with enthusiastic public participation, the statement said.

It added that ‘Mera Yuva Bharat’ (MY Bharat) is being established as an autonomous body to serve as a one-stop “whole-of-government” platform for the youths of the country.

In line with the prime minister’s vision to provide equitable opportunities to every youth of the country, MY Bharat will leverage technology to provide an enabling mechanism across the entire spectrum of the government so that they can realise their aspirations and contribute to the building of developed India, it said.  “The aim of MY Bharat is to inspire youth to become community change agents and nation builders and enable them to act as the ‘Yuva Setu’ between the Government and the citizens. In this sense, ‘MY Bharat’ will provide a major boost to ‘Youth Led development’ in the country,” it said. 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday cited an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study and said those who had earlier suffered a severe bout of COVID-19 must not overexert themselves for a year or two to avoid heart attacks and cardiac arrests.

Several deaths due to heart issues have been reported in Gujarat recently, including during ‘garba’ events that mark Navratri festivities, which prompted state health minister Rushikesh Patel to hold a meeting with medical experts, including cardiologists.

Rushikesh Patel had asked experts to collect data of the deaths to find out causes and remedies.

“The ICMR has conducted a detailed study. As per this study, those who have suffered from severe COVID-19 infection should not overexert themselves. They should stay away from hard workouts, running and strenuous exercises for a short time, say a year or two, so as to avoid heart attacks,” he told reporters.

During her recent visit here, Uttar Pradesh Governor and former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel had also expressed concern over the issue.

Among those who died of heart attacks was one Veer Shah, a Class 12 student from Kheda district, 28-year-old Ravi Panchal from Ahmedabad, and 55-year-old Shankar Rana from Vadodara.

Incidentally, before the start of Navratri festivities, the state Health and Family Welfare Department, through a notification, made it mandatory for garba event organisers to deploy an ambulance and a medical team at the venue to provide immediate aid to participants.