Ahmedabad:Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate his 66th birthday in his home state Gujarat, seeking blessings of his mother and spending time with tribals and ‘divyangs’ (differently abled persons).

This will be Modi’s third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are scheduled to be held next year.

“After his arrival in Ahmedabad on September 17, he will first go to Gandhinagar to seek blessings of his mother Hiraba and meet other family members,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya told PTI.

Modi’s mother lives with his younger brother Pankaj Modi in Gandhinagar.

Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate an irrigation project and will also address a public rally.

Dahod District Collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony as well as the rally will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city.

“The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project, which will provide water to several remote villages of this district. The programme will be held at Limkheda during morning,” Padaliya said, adding that later he will address a public meeting.

Later in the afternoon that day, he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function to distribute aides to differently-abled persons.

“In Navsari, PM will distribute various kits and aides to ‘divyang’ citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town,” Pandya said.

The BJP is likely to facing a challenge in Gujarat in the run up to the polls following the Patel quota agitation and the stir by Dalits after the Una incident.

Last month Modi visited Gujarat twice — once to condole the death of Sawminarayan saint Pramukhswami Maharaj and the second time to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saurashtra region.

Schedule of visit:

Prime Minister Modi will arrive at Ahmedabad airport on 16 September evening. He will have night-halt at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. The Prime Minister will leave Gandhinagar for Limkheda at 11.00 am. He will address public meeting at Limkheda at 12.30 pm. At 2.00 pm he will leave Limkheda to reach Navsari. He will leave Surat airport at 5.30 pm for Delhi.

Details:

As per the official schedule Mr Modi will arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the night of September 16. He will go to capital Gandhinagar where his night halt will be at the Rajbhavan.

The next day he will fly for Limkheda by helicopter from the helipad at the state secretariat at around 1130 am He will spend over two hour time there and inaugurate the Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project, which will provide water to several remote villages of Dahod district. He is also likely to dedicate some other tribal programmes and address a rally there.

Mr Modi is scheduled to arrive Navsari at 330 pm and remain there till 445 pm. He will distribute kits and other aids to divyang people and later go to Surat airport at 530 pm from where he would fly back to Delhi.

Though the official schedule has no mention of his meeting with mother Hiraba (a tradition of sorts Mr Modi religiously follows on his birthdays), who lives in Gandhinagar with younger son Pankaj Modi, the Prime Minister will most likely seek her blessings and meet her some time in the morning of September 17.

Prime Minister to distribute enabling equipment to divyangs on his birthday

New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate his birthday on Saturday by distributing aid and enabling equipment to 11,223 divyangs (people with disability) at Navsari in Gujarat.

The items to be distributed include wheelchairs, tricycles, hearing aids and special smartphones for the visually impaired.

“On September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute 11,223 aids and appliances to the divyangs or you can say persons with disabilities.

“The purpose is to make their life better and allow them earn their livelihood with the help of these equipment,” said Union Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, who will also take part in the event.

He also said that his department has been organising employment fairs for the divyangs.

Modi during his radio address “Mann Ki Baat” on December 27 last year, had said physically challenged people have a “divine ability” and the term ‘divyang’ should be used for them in place of ‘viklang’.

PM to distribute Aids and Assistive Devices to Persons with Disabilities at Samajik Adhikarita Shivir at Navsari, Gujarat on 17th

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will distribute Aids and Assistive Devices to Persons with Disabilities at Samajik Adikarita Shivir organized by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in District- Navsari, Gujarat on 17th September, 2016. Shri O.P. Kohli, Governor of Gujarat, Shri Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for of Social Justice & Empowerment and various dignitaries from the Central Government Ministries and the State Government of Gujarat will also grace the occasion. More than 11 thousand Persons with Disabilities (PwD) beneficiaries will be provided free-of-cost assistive equipment worth Rs. 10.74crore (approx.), certificate etc. This camp also holds the prospect of entering the ‘Guiness Book World Records’ in three categories namely most people fitted with hearing aid in eight hours, Largest wheelchair logo/image and most oil lamps lit simultaneously – single venue.

DEPwD has the vision to build an inclusive society in which equal opportunities are provided for the growth and development of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) so that they can lead productive, safe and dignified lives. The Scheme of Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fittings of Aids/Appliances (ADIP Scheme) is in operation since 1981 with the main objective to provide grants-in-aid to the various implementing agencies (National Institutes/ Composite Regional Centres/Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO)/District Disability Rehabilitation Centres/State Handicapped Development Corporations/other local bodies/ NGOs) to assist the needy divyangjan in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances to promote physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of divyangjan by reducing the effects of disabilities and at the same time enhance their economic potential. The scheme also envisages conduct of corrective surgeries, whenever required, before providing an assistive device. The Scheme has been revised w.e.f.1.4.2014.

The ADIP Camps have been scheduled regularly across different parts of the country and have taken the message of ‘Disability Empowerment’ so far and wide.