2,000 artists to present the saga of a Naxal-free India during National Unity Day celebrations in Ekta Nagar

National Unity Day celebrations will be held on Saturday at Ekta Nagar in Narmada district. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will offer floral tributes at the Statue of Unity to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. During this program, the Prime Minister will inaugurate various development projects worth over 400 crore rupees and will also interact with trainee officers. He will also visit the 'Rain Forest' and 'Vaman Vriksha Vatika' at Ekta Nagar.

The main attraction of this celebration will be a documentary-style theatrical presentation based on the theme of 'Naxal-free India'. More than 2,000 artists from Naxal-affected areas of the country are participating in this presentation. These artists include residents from Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. A special aspect is that some of these artists are people who had associations with Naxalite organizations in the past, but have now surrendered and joined mainstream society to start a new life. These artists are currently practicing group dances and various presentations to the beat of music, which reflect the transformation in their lives after years of struggle and violence. This docu-play has been conceptualized, written, and directed by the Director of the Bengaluru center of the National School of Drama (NSD).

On the development front, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stones and inaugurate several important projects. He will lay the foundation stone for Phase 2A and Phase 2B of the Ahmedabad Metro. The length of Phase 2A will be over 6 kilometers, including five stations from Koteshwar Road to the airport, while the length of Phase 2B will be over 3.3 kilometers, including three stations from GIFT City to Shahpur. Additionally, the foundation stone will be laid for a project worth approximately 2,600 crore rupees to upgrade the Ahmedabad-Mehsana road (State Highway-41) from 4 lanes to 8 lanes, which will make travel between North Gujarat and Ahmedabad faster and safer.

Major projects in the agricultural and social sectors are also included. The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation 521 projects completed under the 'Agriculture Infrastructure Fund' at a cost of 4,950 crore rupees. These projects include cold storage facilities, cold chains, warehouses, silos, polyhouses, greenhouses, and various primary and secondary processing centers. Furthermore, he will lay the foundation stone for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi centers in Gujarat and inaugurate 361 completed Anganwadi centers. This investment of 800 crore will benefit more than 4 lakh people. According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, the Prime Minister also held a roadshow in Banaskantha on Friday, where he praised Banaskantha potatoes globally.