Banaskantha, Oct 30 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the Embryo Transfer Technology-In Vitro Fertilisation (ET-IVF) Laboratory and inaugurated the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, aimed at improving cattle breeds, increasing milk productivity and strengthening the dairy sector.
During the visit, PM Modi also interacted with women dairy farmers and discussed issues relating to animal husbandry and dairy farming.
The 127-acre BBBRC has been established as an advanced Centre of Excellence for bovine breeding, genetic improvement and advanced reproductive technologies. It is the country's first facility dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed, an indigenous breed of Gujarat.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the centre is expected to accelerate breed improvement by 10-20 times through the use of advanced breeding technologies.
It is intended to improve milk production per animal, strengthen the genetic quality of cattle and support the conservation of indigenous breeds.
Ahead of the inauguration, PM Modi had said in a post that the centre would help farmers through higher milk yields, better-quality breeds and increased incomes.
He had also underlined that its benefits would extend beyond Gujarat to dairy farmers across the country.
The visit to the laboratory and the interaction with women dairy farmers formed part of the Prime Minister’s two-day Gujarat tour on October 30 and 31.
The inauguration is among the development initiatives worth more than Rs 14,000 crore being launched or dedicated to the nation in Banaskantha on Friday.
These include the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants of Banas Dairy at Tharad and Radhanpur, with cattle dung processing capacities of 75 metric tonnes and 100 metric tonnes per day, respectively.
PM Modi is also scheduled to release the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), amounting to around Rs 19,000 crore, and flag off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU services.
Other projects include the extension of Ahmedabad Metro towards the airport and GIFT City, the widening of Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road from four to eight lanes, and the inauguration of 361 completed child-friendly Anganwadi centres, alongside the foundation stone for 4,030 new centres.
Later on Friday, the Prime Minister will travel to Ekta Nagar to inaugurate 'Bharat Parv 2026' and witness 'Ekta Prakash Parv'.
On October 31, he will participate in Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations marking the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.