Vadodara (Gujarat) [India]: Preparations are underway in Vadodara for the ‘Shobha Yatra,’ which Prime Minister Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will observe on Monday while on their way to inaugurate Tata Advanced Systems Ltd’s aircraft assembly facility.
The city of Vadodara is all decked up with beautiful lights to welcome the two leaders.The residents of Vadodara expressed their happiness over the visit of PM Modi and Spain’s PM and hoped for good international relations with Spain.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi and Union Minister CR Patil were also seen inspecting the route for the PM’s roadshow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez are set to inaugurate Tata-Airbus’s C295 aircraft assembly plant in Vadodara, today. This collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) and Airbus Spain will mark India’s first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military aircraft, boosting the nation’s aerospace capabilities.
The plant, located at TASL’s Vadodara campus, is part of India’s Rs 2.5 billion deal signed in 2021 to acquire 56 C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus. Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly from Spain, while the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India by TASL.
This project will create a comprehensive ecosystem for aircraft development, covering assembly, testing, certification, and maintenance throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft.
Major Indian defence players like Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). and Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), along with smaller enterprises, are also contributing to this project.
The C-295 aircraft will strengthen India’s air force fleet with a modern, and more reliable transport solution.
In addition to the plant inauguration, PM Modi has a busy schedule in Gujarat. He is scheduled to visit Vadodara’s Laxmi Vilas Palace before travelling to Amreli, where he will inaugurate Bharat Mata Sarovar and various infrastructure projects valued at over Rs 4,800 crores. These projects aim to benefit Amreli and nearby districts like Jamnagar, Morbi, and Junagadh. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for Rs 2,800 crore worth of road projects, including four-laning segments of NH 151, NH 151A, and NH 51, and inaugurate a new bypass in Junagadh.
Additionally, water supply improvements worth over Rs 700 crore will be launched, including the Pasavi Group Augmentation Water Supply Scheme Phase two in Bhavnagar district, benefiting 95 villages. Plans for eco-tourism development at Porbandar’s Karli Reservoir are also underway.
President Sanchez will later visit Mumbai to meet with industry leaders, participate in the Spain-India Forum, and explore Bollywood collaborations. He hopes to encourage stronger ties with Indian businesses and the entertainment industry.