Gandhinagar, July 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern for the country’s most vulnerable people, even as India advances in high-technology sectors such as semiconductors, reflects his “true sensitivity”, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on Sunday while inaugurating a hostel for children from nomadic and denotified communities in Gandhinagar district.

Patel was speaking at Pansar village in Kalol taluka after inaugurating the Shanti Nivas hostel, run by the Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch (VSSM) and the Dr. K.R. Shroff Foundation, and performing the ground-breaking ceremony for the Vallabh Vidyavihar school.

State BJP President Jagdish Vishwakarma was also present.

During the event, the Chief Minister and other dignitaries distributed books to students of the institution.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Patel said Prime Minister Modi had always believed in transforming hardship into lasting solutions rather than dwelling on personal struggles.

“The Prime Minister spent his childhood in a very ordinary and poor family, but he never spoke about his own suffering. He always chose the path of turning pain into systems. His constant concern has been to create permanent arrangements that end the suffering of poor and deprived people,” the Chief Minister added.

He said that one of the Prime Minister’s significant initiatives was to ensure that members of nomadic and denotified communities, who had spent generations without permanent settlements, received a dignified place in society and a permanent address.

“For years, our brothers and sisters from nomadic and denotified communities lived wandering lives. It was PM Narendra Modi who took the first decisive step to ensure they received a dignified place in society and a permanent address. A permanent address gives a person an identity, and identity enables people to claim their rightful entitlements in society,” he said, adding that VSSM’s efforts to bring marginalised communities into the mainstream were commendable.

Chief Minister Patel said caring for people living with uncertainty about shelter, food and their children’s education represented a profound social responsibility.

“Think of families who live every day wondering where they will go the next morning, whether they will find land to stay on, and what will happen to their children’s future. Providing them with housing, education and food is an act of immense service,” he added.

Referring to India’s technological progress, the Chief Minister said that Gujarat had witnessed the commencement of its third semiconductor company a day earlier, but stressed that economic advancement had not diminished the Prime Minister’s focus on basic human concerns.

“Along with making giant strides in the global semiconductor sector, the Prime Minister’s true sensitivity lies in caring for the smallest and most vulnerable person in the country. Even today, his thinking gives equal importance to the welfare of the poorest citizen and to fundamental issues such as cleanliness,” Chief Minister Patel said.

He added that India’s growing international standing had been achieved without losing sight of inclusive development.

Speaking on the Prime Minister’s vision of a developed nation, Chief Minister Patel said Gujarat’s progress would only be meaningful if development reached those at the margins of society.

“A Developed Gujarat cannot be achieved if only a few cities progress. The dream of Developed India will be realised only when the last person and the smallest individual become part of the mainstream of development,” he added.

Highlighting the importance of education, Chief Minister Patel said the children studying at the institution represented a generation that could transform society through learning.

He described efforts to provide them with dignity, education and opportunities as a “sacred mission” and said participating in such work was a matter of pride.

Gujarat BJP President Jagdish Vishwakarma said VSSM had become a vital support system for homeless families from nomadic and denotified communities struggling to educate their children.

“The organisation is working for people who literally have the sky above them and the earth beneath them. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s philosophy of Antyodaya, permanent homes have been provided to many homeless families across the country. Under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s leadership, the Gujarat government has also extended assistance for developing colonies and housing plots for these communities,” he added.

Vishwakarma also suggested that the organisation prepare professional presentations of handicrafts and traditional products made by members of nomadic communities.

He said the state government would facilitate training to improve product quality and help expand market opportunities.

Referring to the growth of khadi, he added that similar support could help products made by nomadic communities secure Geographical Indication (GI) recognition in the future.

VSSM founder trustee Mittal Patel said that support from the Gujarat government and the administrative machinery had enabled several welfare initiatives for nomadic communities.

“Contributions from donors had helped the organisation construct more than 2,000 houses, provide loans to make 13,000 families self-reliant, deepen 470 ponds and undertake large-scale tree plantation activities,” she added.

Mittal Patel appealed to members of society to dedicate part of their resources towards the welfare of communities such as the Vadi, Madari, Saraniya and Kangasiya.

“What began nearly two decades ago as a tent school had grown into a large educational campus through sustained voluntary efforts. Gujarat’s work for nomadic communities was unmatched in many parts of the country,” she noted.

–IANS

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