PM Modi inaugurates tourism attractions at Statue of Unity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, inaugurated four new tourist attractions near the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Narmada district on Friday.

The prime minister inaugurated Arogya Van, Ekta Mall, Children's Nutrition Park and Sardar Patel Zoological Park/ Jungle Safari. He was scheduled to launch 17 new projects, including a seaplane service, on Friday and Saturday.

Modi first inaugurated Arogya Van (`health forest'), spread over 17 acres with a wide range of medicinal plants. The sprawling garden, which boasts of five lakh plants of 380 species, also highlights the importance of Yoga, Ayurveda and meditation, an official release said.

It also has a `yoga and meditation' garden, souvenir shop and a cafeteria serving "Ayurveda foods". Modi also visited a digital information centre and an indoor plants garden inside Arogya Van.

The prime minister then inaugurated Ekta Mall, a unique store near the Statue of Unity where tourists can buy handloom and handicraft products from various states. The two-storey air-conditioned complex is spread over 35,000 square feet and houses 20 emporia, said the government release.

Modi, accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, visited several emporia. The prime minister spent significant time at stalls selling traditional items from Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East. He showed keen interest in the processes involved in making them, an official said.

The PM next inaugurated a Children's Nutrition Park, dubbed as the world's first such technology-driven theme park developed over 35,000 square meters. Its primary objective is to make children understand the importance of nutritious food, officials said.

The park has 47 attractions providing "infotainment" to children with the underlying theme of "Sahi Poshan Desh Roshan". Modi then inaugurated Jungle Safari, a state-of-the- art Zoological Park spread across 375 acres and seven levels.

It houses over 1,100 indigenous and exotic birds and animals of more than 100 species including tigers, lions, giraffes, zebras and leopards. The Safari also boasts of two world's largest geodesic dome aviaries.

The prime minister visited the aviaries and allowed parrots to sit on his arm. Jungle Safari also has a Petting Zone, where visitors can touch and pet animals. The PM would be staying at Kevadiya overnight, the release said. 

(Photo Credit: Twitter/PIBAhmedabad)