Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived on a three-day visit to his home State Gujarat where he will launch projects worth over ₹20,000 crore while laying foundation stone for a new international centre of traditional medicine in Jamnagar.
After landing at the Ahmedabad airport, Mr. Modi drove to the newly set up command and control centre of the State Education department as part of reforms the State government had initiated to improve quality of education in primary schools.
At the centre, the Prime Minister interacted with top officials and teachers about the new measures the government had launched to improve the standard of education across government schools.
AAP’s challenge
The Prime Minister’s visit to the centre assumes significance since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had targeted the Gujarat government over the standard of education in the State ahead of the Assembly polls in which the AAP was trying to become a third player in Gujarat’s polity.
Recently, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia visited a few schools in Gujarat and challenged the State Education Minister Jitu Vaghani to have a public debate with him over the quality of education in the State-run schools in Delhi and Gujarat.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will first visit Banaskantha to inaugurate a new dairy complex of Banas dairy at Deodar, a potato processing unit and community radio station of Banas dairy.
He will also lay foundation stone for other projects of the dairy in the district before moving to Jamnagar where a new centre of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for traditional medicine is being set up.
The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, the first of its kind in the world, aims to channel the potential of traditional medicine, by integrating it with technological advancements and evidence-based research.
Four strategic areas
In a press release, the Ayush Ministry said, while Jamnagar would serve as the base, the new centre aims to engage and benefit the world, as it will focus on four strategic areas: evidence and learning; data and analytics; sustainability and equity; and innovation and technology to optimise the contribution of traditional medicine to global health.
Besides Mr. Modi, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, will be attending the event in Jamnagar. They both arrived in Gujarat on Monday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Mr. Modi will inaugurate the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation summit in Gandhinagar. The event aims to increase investments and showcase innovations in the field of traditional medicine. “It is a unique attempt to foster long-lasting partnerships, boost exports and nurture a sustainable ecosystem,” a government release stated.
Later the Prime Minister will visit tribal district Dahod to address a tribal convention and launch an irrigation project.
It may be noted that ahead of the Assembly polls in the State, Mr. Modi’s visits have increased. In March also, he came to Gujarat on a two-day visit and held roadshows in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar while he remained present via videoconferencing in a series of events.
