Gandhinagar, July 15 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday reaffirmed the state’s commitment to contributing to the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ as he responded to birthday greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on social media platform X.

Replying to Prime Minister Modi, Patel thanked him for his wishes and said Gujarat would continue to play a leading role in achieving the national development vision under his leadership.

“Heartfelt thanks to you for your warm wishes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under your visionary and inspiring leadership, Gujarat is committed to playing a leading role in realising the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’,” he said.

He added that Team Gujarat was working with “complete sincerity, transparency and dedication” to ensure the state’s holistic and inclusive development by keeping “the welfare of the last person in society and the underprivileged at the centre of our efforts”.

“Your constant affection, blessings and invaluable guidance are an endless source of energy and inspiration for us,” Patel said.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi had extended birthday wishes, saying: “Best wishes to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on his birthday. He is at the forefront of taking Gujarat to new heights of development and ensuring that the aspirations of the people are fulfilled. Praying for his long life and good health.”

Patel also responded to a birthday message from Amit Shah, thanking the Union minister for his “affectionate wishes”.

He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi and Shah, Team Gujarat would continue working to strengthen the rural economy, expand the cooperative sector and maintain robust law and order.

“Under the valuable guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and yourself, I and Team Gujarat are committed to working tirelessly to give new momentum to the rural economy, further strengthen the cooperative sector, and ensure the holistic development of the state through robust law and order,” Patel wrote.

Shah had earlier described Patel as playing “an important role in continuously taking Gujarat’s journey of development forward” under the Prime Minister’s leadership and wished him good health and a long life.

Patel, who turned 64 on Wednesday, has been Gujarat’s Chief Minister since September 2021 and began his second consecutive term after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the 2022 Assembly elections.

A civil engineer by training, he previously served in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, headed the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority and represents the Ghatlodia Assembly constituency.

Under his leadership, the Gujarat government has continued to focus on industrial investment, infrastructure development, urban governance and welfare programmes while aligning several state initiatives with the Centre’s long-term vision of a developed India by 2047.

–IANS

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