Amit Shah inaugurates the ‘Gujarat Gaurav Sarovar’ in Amreli, Gujarat

Amit Shah yesterday inaugurated the ‘Gujarat Gaurav Sarovar’ in Amreli, Gujarat. The ‘Gujarat Gaurav Sarovar’ has been constructed by the Harikrishna Group and the Dholakia Foundation. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Addressing the event, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that according to the Matsya Purana, those who construct wells, stepwells and ponds earn great merit. He said that in view of low rainfall these days, if we try to save every drop of rain and raise the groundwater level, there will never be any fear of drought in the country or the state. He said that the 'Gujarat Gaurav Sarovar' - spanning 21 acres with a capacity of 400 million liters - will aid in the availability of water for agriculture and drinking, as well as in groundwater conservation.

The Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that the poet Kalapi wrote a beautiful poem stating, "The destiny of the subjects mirrors the nature of the king." He said that when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, water scarcity across the entire Saurashtra and North Gujarat regions was swiftly resolved, and drought became a thing of the past.

Shri Amit Shah said that after Modi ji became Chief Minister and later Prime Minister, Gujarat has not faced any major drought until 2026. He said that this year everyone was saying that drought would occur due to the effect of El Niño. There was some rain in a few small villages, but the situation did not arise, as in the past, of having to take cattle and birds to Valsad. Shri Shah said that after becoming Chief Minister, Modi ji had 1.5 lakh check dams built by 2003. He said that the gates of the Narmada project, whose foundation was laid in 1964 by the then Prime Minister, opened when Modi ji became Prime Minister. Because of this project, Narmada water reached the whole of Saurashtra, Kutch and Khavda. When water began to be saved, the SAUNI Yojana was launched. The surplus water was channelled through the SAUNI Yojana into the dams and rivers of Saurashtra. Water from the Narmada river is being stored in about 10,000 ponds in north and central Gujarat. He said that under Modi ji’s leadership, many people have built countless ponds.