Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 12 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel adopted a unique approach to inaugurate 30 new e-buses under the PM-eBus Sewa and presented development projects worth Rs. 1,848 crore to the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation on Saturday.

According to the Gujarat Government, Patel took an e-bus ride as a common passenger along with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Gandhinagar MLAs, and the Mayor and office-bearers of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation.

After flagging off the e-buses for citizens, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister travelled together in one of the e-buses from the venue to the Ministers’ Residential Complex, experiencing the journey firsthand.

During the journey, Minister of State for Urban Development Darshna Vaghela, Gandhinagar MLAs  Rita Patel and Alpesh Thakor, Mayor Mira Patel, Deputy Mayor Natuji Thakor, Standing Committee Chairman Gaurang, other office-bearers, City Organisation President Dr. Ashish Dave, and former Mayors also joined them.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s distinctive approach to the inauguration became a key highlight for everyone.

Earlier, Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), paid a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar. 

During the meeting, they discussed opportunities for grassroots-level collaboration with the State Government for the State’s holistic and sustainable development, as well as the Aga Khan Development Network’s development-focused initiatives. 

Welcoming Prince Rahim Aga Khan V to Gujarat, the Chief Minister said the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) focus on sustainable development, education, skill development, enterprise promotion, and empowering underprivileged and vulnerable communities aligns with Gujarat’s development philosophy. 

Describing water conservation as an important part of Gujarat’s sustainable development, the CM highlighted the State’s large-scale efforts in water conservation, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and rejuvenation of water bodies. He also stated that water conservation has become a people’s movement across the State. 

Gujarat’s initiatives in women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship were also discussed. Under the women’s self-reliance ecosystem, thousands of women are provided with awareness and enterprise development training, enabling them to establish micro-enterprises and become economically self-reliant. 

In this regard, Prince Rahim Aga Khan V expressed his willingness to further strengthen grassroots-level collaboration with the State Government. Both sides also expressed a positive approach towards deepening cooperation by leveraging their complementary strengths and working together for sustainable, holistic and people-centric development. 

Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, Mamta Verma, and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar, were also present on the occasion. (ANI)