On Eve Of PM Modi's Birthday, Gujarat CM Launches Campaign To Promote Kitchen Gardens

(MENAFN- IANS) Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (IANS) A campaign to distribute and plant 76,000 kitchen garden saplings was launched in Ahmedabad on Wednesday on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 76th birthday, with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel urging people to connect environmental protection with everyday life.

Patel launched the 'Harit Ghar – Swasth Samaj' (Green Home – Healthy Society) campaign, organised by Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, and said growing vegetables at home could help people develop a better understanding of the environment and development.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been concerned about environmental protection along with development. The 'Harit Ghar – Swasth Samaj' campaign of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj is a commendable effort in the same direction," the Chief Minister said.

He added that the Prime Minister had promoted initiatives including Mission LiFE, 'Catch the Rain', 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' and natural farming, which had developed into people's movements.

Speaking about PM Modi's tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister, Patel said that when Gujarat was separated from Maharashtra in 1960, there were questions about how the state would develop.

He said that PM Modi subsequently laid the foundation for development in areas, including electricity, water, roads and infrastructure.

"Seeing Gujarat's development, a sentiment emerged across the country that this leader would take India to similar heights of development. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes the impossible... possible. He has delivered what he said, and that is why not only the country but the entire world places its trust in him," he emphasised.

Patel also spoke about Gujarat's economic development, saying that PM Modi's foresight had contributed to the development of GIFT City as a global financial hub.

"The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit had also been initiated during PM Modi's tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister," he said.

According to Patel, 100 of the world's top 500 companies are operating in Gujarat.

He said the state had 1,85,000 small-scale industries in 2001, compared with more than 27 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at present, providing employment to lakhs of people.

Referring to the wider celebrations around PM Modi's birthday, Patel added that a month-long 'Seva Sankalp' campaign would begin on the Prime Minister's 76th birthday.

He called on people to commit themselves to building a developed Gujarat as part of the broader goal of a developed India.

The event also included the felicitation of three Gujaratis for their contributions in different fields -- Rangdatt Joshi, Vijay Dobariya and Sohil Patel -- by the Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

CM Patel visited stalls showcasing products and services developed by around 35 startups working in environmental protection and encouraged the young entrepreneurs involved in the initiatives.

The kitchen garden initiative also received a World Record certificate from the Golden Book of Records for the distribution of 76,000 kitchen garden saplings.

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