Current Affairs Date: 06 November 2022

⇒ The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 4400 crore in Bhuj on 28 August 2022.

• • Earlier, Prime Minister also inaugurated Smriti Van Memorial in Bhuj district.
  • He also addressed a programme in Gandhinagar, marking the commemoration of 40 years of Suzuki in India.

Details of the projects:

Smriti Van Memorial:

» The Prime Minister inaugurated the Smriti Van Memorial in Bhuj district. Envisioned by the Prime Minister, Smriti Van is a one of its kind initiatives.

• • It has been built in an area of around 470 acres to celebrate the spirit of resilience shown by the people after the death of around 13,000 people who had lost their lives during the 2001 earthquake which had its epicentre in Bhuj.
  • The Memorial carries names of the people who had lost their lives during the earthquake.
  • The state-of-the-art Smriti Van Earthquake Museum is segregated in seven blocks based on seven themes: Rebirth, Rediscover, Restore, Rebuild, Rethink, Relive and Renew.

1. 1. The first block is based on the theme Rebirth depicting Earth’s evolution and ability of the earth to overcome every time.
   2. The second block showcases Gujarat’s topography and various natural disasters that the state is vulnerable to.
   3. The third block takes one back to the immediate aftermath after the 2001 earthquake. Galleries in this block address the massive relief effort undertaken by individuals as well as organisations.
   4. The fourth block showcases Gujarat’s rebuilding initiatives and success stories post 2001 earthquake.
   5. The fifth block prompts the visitor to think and learn about different types of disasters and future readiness for any type of disaster at any time.
   6. The sixth block helps us to relive the experience of an earthquake with the help of a simulator. The experience is designed in a 5D simulator and is meant to give the visitor the ground reality of an event at this scale.
   7. The seventh block provides people with a space for remembrance where they can pay homage to the lost souls.

Various Projects in Bhuj:

» The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 4400 crore in Bhuj.

» The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Kachchh Branch Canal of Sardar Sarovar Project.

• • The total length of the Canal is around 357 km. A part of the canal was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in 2017 and the remaining part is being inaugurated now. Canal would help in providing irrigation facilities in Kachchh and drinking water in all 948 villages and 10 towns of the Kachchh district.

» Prime Minister inaugurateed various other projects as well including New Automatic Milk Processing and Packing Plant of Sarhad Dairy; Regional Science Centre, Bhuj; Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Convention Centre at Gandhidham; Veer Bal Smarak at Anjar; Bhuj 2 Substation at Nakhatrana etc.

» The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of various projects worth over Rs 1500 crores as well, including the Bhuj- Bhimasar Road.

Programme marking the Commemoration of 40 years of Suzuki in India:

» During the event, Prime Minister laid the foundation stones of two key projects of the Suzuki group in India – the Suzuki Motor Gujarat Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing Facility at Hansalpur, Gujarat and Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming vehicle manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana.

• • The Suzuki Motor Gujarat Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing Facility at Hansalpur, Gujarat will be set-up with an investment of around Rs 7,300 crores to manufacture Advance Chemistry Cell batteries for Electric Vehicles.
  • The vehicle manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana will have the potential to manufacture 10 lakh passenger vehicles per year, making it one of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturing facilities at a single site in the world. The first phase of the project will be set up with an investment of over Rs 11,000 crores.