Banaskantha (Gujarat)  Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated various projects worth over Rs 7,200 crores in Ambaji in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Friday.

The Prime Minister also handed over keys to seven beneficiaries of various housing schemes and congratulated all the 61,000 beneficiaries of housing schemes. On the occasion, he dedicated and laid the foundation stone of over 45,000 houses to be built under PM Awas Yojana.

Prime Minister Modi said that in 2021, the Gujarat government completed 1.50 lakh houses for Economically Weaker Sections and other groups. Across the country, 3 crore economically weaker people have got benefit of PM Awas Yojana in 2021, he added.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Taranga Hill - Ambaji - Abu Road New Broad Gauge Line. He revealed that the project was conceived in 1930 during British rule. "The need for this was recognised 100 years ago but unfortunately, this was not done in such a long period. Perhaps, Maa Amba wished it to be done by me. It is our good fortune that in the year of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we are getting this opportunity to dedicate this at the feet of Amba Mata," he said.

The Prime Minister said that his aim is to create so many attractions in the vicinity of Ambaji temple that people have to make a 2-3 days program to cover them. Prime Minister Modi asserted, "On one hand, Ambaji is the home of faith and worship while on the other hand, we have India's borders where our jawans are deployed."

He cited the development of the Seema Darshan project in Suigam on the international border. "People should visit and see the life of army jawans and learn from it, he has also hinted at developing Deesa Air Force station."

Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister of Railways, Ashvini Vaishnav, Union Minister of State for Railways Darshana Vikram Jardosh, MPs C.R. Patil, Prabatbhai Patel, Bharasinh Dhabi and Dineshbhai Anavaidya were among those present on the occasion.