Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated, dedicated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth more than ₹35,000 crore in Vadodara, while urging India’s youth to build skills suited to the rapidly evolving opportunities in Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology and advanced manufacturing. Addressing the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ programme at the Pavilion Ground of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Modi said AI would create opportunities beyond the technology sector, including agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and robotics. He stressed the need for continuous skill development as technology and global requirements change.
A key highlight of the visit was the completion of the 2,800-km Dedicated Freight Corridor, which Modi described as a historic achievement for 21st-century India and a major milestone for Gati Shakti and the country’s logistics transformation. The projects inaugurated and launched in Vadodara cover railways, roads and other infrastructure, aimed at strengthening connectivity and logistics. Modi also highlighted Vadodara’s transformation from an education and industrial centre into a hub for modern manufacturing and emerging technologies, citing its textile, tile, oil, petrochemical and MSME sectors and its growing role in aerospace manufacturing through the C-295 aircraft programme.
Around 6,000 students, young professionals and social media influencers attended the youth-focused programme. Modi said the convergence of education, skills and industry would be crucial to achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047.