Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a string of development projects in Gujarat, including a 5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Mundra and a chocolate factory of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), the country’s biggest milk cooperative known for its Amul brand of products, in Anand.
“As a brand, Amul is both admired and respected not only in India but also internationally. It is synonymous with quality and has empowered several people associated with it,” said the Prime Minister, who is on a day’s visit to his home state.
Modi said Gujarat and the cooperative sector have a strong link, as a result of the work of India’s first deputy prime minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
“Sardar Patel’s association with Amul is well known but long before that, as the head of the municipality of Ahmedabad, he worked extensively on cooperative housing,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister either inaugurated or laid foundation stones of projects worth more than ₹ 1,100 crore in Anand that are associated with the dairy, food processing, agriculture and energy sectors.
Modi also inaugurated the Solar Pump Irrigators Cooperative Enterprise (SPICE) created by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) at Mujkuva village in Anand district. The project is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of farmers installing solar pumps in the field and selling surplus energy to the power grid.
At Mundra in the Kutch district, the Prime Minister inaugurated a LNG terminal promoted by GSPC LNG Ltd, a subsidiary of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd, which has entered into a joint venture with Adani group for setting up this ₹ 5,000 crore project. The project is the third such LNG re-gasification project in the state after Petronet LNG’s Dahej LNG terminal and the Hazira project of Shell Gas BV, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
The terminal is the third in the state to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) in cryogenic ships. This LNG will then be converted into gaseous state and transported by pipelines to consumers. India has two more LNG terminals, Dabhol in Maharashtra and Kochi in Kerala, both with 5mtpa capacity.
“Among the most special parts of today’s programme in Anjar was the inauguration of the LNG terminal. It is wonderful to see Gujarat becoming a LNG hub,” Modi said in Anjar.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated Gujarat State Petronet Ltd’s high pressure pipeline connecting Anjar Mundra LNG terminal to GSPL’s existing gas grid at Anjar. This pipeline will enable transporting the regasified LNG for fuelling energy needs of Gujarat and beyond by connecting it to the national gas grid.
“When Gujarat got its first LNG terminal, people were surprised. Now, we are poised to make a fourth LNG terminal,” the Prime Minister said, adding that poverty cannot be alleviated if we are energy poor and hence a strong energy sector is needed for the growth of any country.
The Shapoorji Pallonji group and Swan Energy have announced their plans to set up LNG terminals in Gujarat. While Swan Energy has started work on building an LNG terminal at Jaffarabad, Shapoorji Pallonji has announced plans to build an LNG terminal at Chhara near Junagadh.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Palanpur- Pali and Barmer-Pali Gas Pipeline projects in Gujarat.
Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) promoted GSPL India Gasnet Ltd (GIGL), in association with joint venture partners, has been authorised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to develop the Mehsana-Bhatinda pipeline and the Bhatinda-Jammu pipeline. As part of this project, GIGL has completed the first phase consisting of Palanpur-Pali & Barmer-Pali sections totalling 350 kilometres at a cost of ₹ 950 crore.
These pipeline projects are a part of the 15,000 km of additional pipelines envisioned by Modi as part of the National Gas Grid.
Modi dedicated projects worth more than ₹ 6,000 crore in Anjar.
Later in the day, the Prime Minster visited Rajkot where he dedicated a museum to Mahatma Gandhi at the Alfred High School, from where Gandhiji passed his matriculation, been set up by the Gujarat government. Renamed Mohandas Gandhi High School after Independence, the school was closed in 2017 after authorities decided to convert it into a museum.
