Modi's Gujarat visit starts with massive roadshow in Surat

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day Gujarat visit by holding a roadshow in Surat after arriving there on Sunday evening.

Surat Collector MS Patel said that the roadshow will cover the 11 km stretch between Airport and Circuit House.

At Circuit House, the PM will meet BJP leaders and stay there for the night.

On Monday, the PM will inaugurate Rs 400-crore Kiran Multi Super Specialty Hospital and Research Centre, built by a trust, Patel said.

He is also scheduled to address a gathering at Sumul Dairy, officials said.

Modi will then visit Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli where also he will address a gathering apart from inaugurating new projects and distributing assistance to beneficiaries.

Around 21,000 beneficiaries of different schemes of the Centre will be given help kits there.

Modi will then head to Botad in Saurashtra to inaugurate phase-1 of Sauni project for Botad and surrounding districts.

He will also lay foundation stone for phase-2 of the project.

In August 2016, Modi had inaugurated the first phase of ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (Sauni) Project from Jamnagar.

Under this project, which is divided in four phases, the Gujarat government plans to fill 115 dams of Saurashtra region with excess overflowing water of Sardar Sarovar Dam across river Narmada through a web of pipeline network.

This is Modi's second visit to his home state this year. He had earlier visited Gandhinagar on March 8 to address women sarpanchs from across the country on International Women's Day.