Surat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described Hazira as a symbol of India’s drive towards self-reliance, saying the industrial hub has evolved beyond a manufacturing zone into an integrated ecosystem linking industry, energy, defence production, ports, and global trade.
Speaking after visiting Hazira before his public programme in Surat, PM Modi said the area demonstrated the practical meaning of the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
“One can clearly understand the meaning of Atmanirbhar Bharat by visiting Hazira. Hazira today is not merely an industrial area. It has become an ecosystem where energy, steel, defence production, ports, and global trade all coexist,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the region was emerging as one of India’s most significant maritime industrial centres and would play a key role in strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities.
His remarks came amid continued investment in industrial infrastructure and logistics networks across Gujarat, including projects designed to improve freight movement and connectivity between manufacturing centres and ports.
PM Modi argued that self-reliance should not be viewed as isolation but as the ability to build domestic capabilities in strategic sectors.
“There are some pessimistic people in the country who continue to mock the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. They forget that a country dependent on others can never achieve the heights of development it deserves,” he said.
The Prime Minister linked industrial growth to wider investments in transport infrastructure, citing the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, the Dedicated Freight Corridor, and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project as examples of the government’s connectivity agenda.
According to PM Modi, modern infrastructure is increasingly reaching regions that historically remained outside major economic networks.
He highlighted the Dahod-Bodeli-Vapi corridor and new road projects connecting tribal districts, including Narmada and Tapi, saying “they would reduce travel times, lower transport costs and improve access to education, healthcare and employment opportunities”.
The Prime Minister also said improved connectivity would support tourism by making destinations such as the Statue of Unity, Saputara, and other attractions in South Gujarat more accessible.
PM Modi argued that infrastructure development, industrial expansion, and social services must progress together if India is to achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation.
He said the combination of industrial hubs such as Hazira and expanding connectivity networks represented a broader effort to create opportunities across both urban and rural regions while strengthening the country’s economic resilience.
(IANS)
