Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], October 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez participated in a roadshow in Vadodara on Monday as they headed to inaugurate Tata Advanced Systems Ltd's aircraft assembly facility.
The roadshow included a 'Shobha Yatra,' and the city was beautifully decorated with lights to welcome the leaders. Residents of Vadodara expressed their excitement about the visit and hoped for stronger international relations with Spain.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi and Union Minister CR Patil were also seen inspecting the route for the roadshow, ensuring everything was for the event. The roadshow is expected to draw significant attention from the public.
PM Modi and Prime Minister Sanchez will 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.
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.