PM Modi Inaugurates Rs 34,200 Crore Development Works in Bhavnagar, Emphasizes Self-Reliant India

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹34,200 crore in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, at the ‘Samudra se Samriddhi’ event. Highlighting the importance of self-reliance, Shri Modi emphasized that India must reduce dependence on foreign nations for economic growth, security, and prosperity.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said, “For peace, stability, and prosperity in the world, India must become self-reliant. Chips or ships, we must make them in India.” He announced a historic decision granting infrastructure status to large ships, which will facilitate easier financing for shipbuilding companies and strengthen India’s maritime sector.

Shri Modi underscored the significance of India’s maritime heritage and the potential of its coastline as a gateway to national prosperity. “India’s coastlines will become gateways to the nation’s prosperity,” he remarked, highlighting Gujarat’s growing contribution to port-led development and maritime trade.

The Prime Minister also noted that India currently pays nearly $75 billion annually to foreign shipping companies—a cost that could have been invested domestically to strengthen the shipbuilding sector. He highlighted initiatives to revive India’s shipbuilding capabilities, including modernizing shipyards, skill development through ITIs and Maritime Universities, and adopting new technologies in ship design and construction.

Among the key inaugurations and foundation stones laid were the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal at Indira Dock, container and cargo facilities at Kolkata, Paradip, Deendayal (Kandla), and Ennore ports, coastal protection works at Chennai and Car Nicobar, and ship repair facilities at Patna and Varanasi. Projects in renewable energy, healthcare, highways, and urban infrastructure worth over ₹26,354 crore in Gujarat were also inaugurated or laid, including the HPLNG Regasification Terminal, solar power initiatives under PM-KUSUM, and hospital expansions in Bhavnagar and Jamnagar.

Shri Modi further announced the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal, a ₹4,500 crore project aimed at preserving India’s ancient maritime traditions while promoting tourism, education, and skill development. He also reviewed the progress of the Dholera Special Investment Region, a greenfield industrial city designed for sustainable industrialization and global investment.

The Prime Minister emphasized the multiplier effect of shipbuilding, noting that every job in the sector generates six to seven jobs in allied industries. He urged citizens to support indigenous products and services, encouraging shopkeepers to promote “Swadeshi” products proudly during the Navratri festivities.

Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Union Ministers Shri C.R. Patil, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Shri Shantanu Thakur, and Smt Nimuben Bambhaniya were present at the event.

With these initiatives, Shri Modi highlighted that India is poised to triple its share in global maritime trade by 2047, strengthen domestic shipbuilding, and create substantial employment, ensuring the nation’s path toward an Atmanirbhar Bharat.