Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various development projects worth approximately ₹1,400 crore in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The projects include ₹1,024 crore worth of works undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and approximately ₹400 crore completed or initiated through the Gujarat Government's Roads and Buildings Department and the Government of India.
A major component involves slum rehabilitation, continuing a scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2007. Residents of Ramapir No Tekro are being provided with permanent private flats, and when fully implemented, over 55,000 people will have access to social security, recreational, educational, and healthcare facilities within a single complex. The initiative aims to rehabilitate nearly one lakh slum dwellers in Ahmedabad.
Specific infrastructure projects include the foundation stone for a pump house to facilitate rainwater drainage in the Bopal-Ghuma area, with a system promised to be in place before 2029 to prevent waterlogging. Work also commenced on a four-kilometre-long ISKCON overbridge, which when completed in three years will reduce travel time from Sarkhej to Gandhinagar significantly through a signal-free route. The Jalasapur Water Treatment Plant was inaugurated as part of these developments.
Education infrastructure received attention with the inauguration of two primary schools and the transformation of all primary schools in the area into smart schools by AMC. Shah urged residents to prioritize children's education and noted that Primary Education Committees of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency have also converted schools into smart schools.
The Home Minister announced a national anti-drug campaign, revealing that after achieving a 'Naxal-free India,' the Modi government now targets a 'Drug-Free India' by December 31, 2029. He appealed for Gujarat to achieve this goal one year earlier, by December 31, 2028. A confidential helpline (1033) was announced where informants can report drug sale or consumption with guaranteed identity protection and promised strict action.
Teachers were urged to arrange testing and consult parents when noticing behavioral changes in children, while citizens were asked to report drug-related activities in their vicinity. De-addiction centers are being established with assurances that identities of those seeking treatment will remain confidential and there should be no shame in seeking help.
A control room will become operational from December 1 with a mechanism to ensure action within three hours of receiving drug-related information. The government has developed a scientific mechanism to ensure kingpins and operatives in the drug trade are sent to jail, with a guarantee from the Prime Minister and Chief Minister that they will not retreat from this fight.
Shah noted that development works worth ₹25,000 crore have been completed in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency over the past seven years, reaffirming commitment to the vision of a 'Green Gandhinagar & Developed Gandhinagar' Lok Sabha Constituency.