Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel today chaired a meeting of the Governing Council of the Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust in the state capital. Deputy Chief Minister and Vice Chairman of the Council Harsh Sanghavi was also present at the meeting, during which the progress of various ongoing works related to the modernisation and redevelopment of Sabarmati Ashram was reviewed.

Chairman of the Executive Council I.P. Gautam presented a holistic overview of the overall progress of the works through a detailed presentation. As per an official press release, restoration work on around 28 houses is being undertaken. Of these, work on 22 houses has been completed, and it was informed that the entire restoration is planned to be completed by March 2026.

In line with the Prime Minister’s directions to prioritise green growth in the redevelopment of Sabarmati Ashram, around 98,000 small and large trees and plants have been planted so far, and action is underway to undertake an additional 16,000 plantations by March 2026, as stated in the presentation.

Detailed discussions were held on how visitors, especially youth, can take part in service activities by linking Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of Shramdaan (voluntary labour) with the Ashram’s programmes. The agenda of the previous Governing Council meeting was also approved.

The meeting was attended by members of the Governing Council of the Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust, including MP Narhari Amin, Kartikeya Sarabhai, and Jayesh Patel, as well as Chief Secretary M. K. Das; Secretary of Youth, Services and Cultural Activities Rahul Gupta; Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. Vikrant Pandey; Tourism Secretary Kuldeep Arya; and OSD of the Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust I. K. Patel. DeshGujarat