Prime Minister Modi Celebrates Unity Festival in Gujarat, Launches Key Projects

Ekta Nagar, October 30 (Daily Kiran) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district on October 30, 2026, to celebrate the ‘Ekta Prakash Parv-2026.’ This event, held a day before Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 151st birthday, featured stunning light displays representing the diverse cultural traditions from across India.

During the festival, Modi inspected the indoor exhibition, which is divided into four zones representing North, East, West, and South India. Each area showcased the unique cultural heritage, architectural styles, and traditions through vibrant light displays and artistic structures.

The North India section highlighted the Ram Temple, Himalayan culture, and folk arts from Punjab and Rajasthan. The East India zone presented Assam’s Bihu, Odisha’s architecture, and Bengal’s cultural legacy. In the West India area, the focus was on Gujarat’s Garba, the Rani ki Vav, Kutch handicrafts, and Maharashtra’s rich culture. The South India section featured the Meenakshi Temple, Hampi, and Kerala’s famous boat races.

Modi also toured the outdoor area near the Statue of Unity, which includes 11 themed sections that illuminate Indian values and traditions through light. Themes such as ‘India – The Golden Bird,’ ‘Cycle of Time,’ yoga, light tunnels, illuminated flowers, colorful balloons, and various light sculptures were part of this display.

This festival is being held for the second consecutive year, following the positive response to its inaugural edition in 2025. Recently inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the event will run for 91 days, allowing visitors to enjoy it free of charge from 6 PM to 10:30 PM until January 15, 2027.

Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat on October 30 and 31. On Friday, he also inaugurated the ‘Bharat Parv-2026’ cultural festival, which showcases folk cultures, arts, cuisines, handicrafts, and tourist attractions from various states and Union Territories. This festival will continue until November 15.

On Saturday, during the celebration of Patel’s birthday, Modi will pay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity around 9 AM. Following this, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects in the area, valued at ₹426.71 crores.

Among the key projects being inaugurated are an IRCTC hotel costing ₹50 crores, a ₹16 crore Unity Cruise service, a ₹14.30 crore rainforest attraction, and a ₹3.67 crore eco trail. Additional initiatives include sewage and water purification plants, a travellator, parade track improvements, staff quarters, road upgrades, façade lighting for the Statue of Unity complex, and the development of the Unity Festival.

Projects set to break ground include the Gora-Bhanadra Road, a smart zero-waste solid waste management project, the Khalwani eco-tourism initiative, an integrated cactus and butterfly garden, a disaster control room for the Sardar Sarovar Dam, and road development works.

Modi will also visit the rainforest and Vaman tree garden before participating in the National Unity Day celebrations around 5:30 PM. The event will feature a unity parade involving central armed police forces, state police, and central police organizations.

Additionally, a theatrical presentation on ‘Naxal-Free India’ will be performed by around 2,000 artists from 126 districts affected by left-wing extremism, organized by the National School of Drama (NSD). Cultural performances and tableaux based on the theme ‘Vande Mataram’ will also be showcased, featuring approximately 5,000 artists from across the country.