Preparations are in full swing in Vadodara for the upcoming Shobha Yatra, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will observe on Monday. The two leaders will attend the inauguration of Tata Advanced Systems Ltd's (TASL) aircraft assembly facility, and the city has been beautifully adorned with lights to mark the occasion. Vadodara’s residents are thrilled about the visit, expressing hopes that this meeting will strengthen international relations between India and Spain.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi and Union Minister CR Patil have been inspecting the route for the PM’s roadshow to ensure seamless preparations.
The highlight of the visit is the inauguration of the Tata-Airbus C295 aircraft assembly plant in Vadodara, a landmark collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) and Airbus Spain. This initiative will establish India's first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military aircraft, enhancing the nation’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities. The plant is located on TASL’s Vadodara campus and forms a crucial part of India’s Rs 2.5 billion deal signed in 2021 to procure 56 C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus. Of these, 16 aircraft will be delivered directly from Spain, while the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India by TASL.
This ambitious project aims to create a comprehensive aircraft development ecosystem, handling all stages from assembly and testing to certification and maintenance. Major Indian defense players such as Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL), along with smaller enterprises, are also supporting the project. The C-295 aircraft will bolster the Indian Air Force fleet with a modern and dependable transport solution.
In addition to the plant inauguration, PM Modi has a packed schedule in Gujarat. He will visit Vadodara's Laxmi Vilas Palace before traveling to Amreli, where he will inaugurate the Bharat Mata Sarovar and launch a series of infrastructure projects valued at over Rs 4,800 crores, which will benefit regions including Amreli, Jamnagar, Morbi, and Junagadh. Additionally, he will lay the foundation stone for road projects worth Rs 2,800 crore, such as the four-laning of NH 151, NH 151A, and NH 51, and a new bypass in Junagadh.
Water supply projects valued at over Rs 700 crore will also be launched, including the Pasavi Group Augmentation Water Supply Scheme Phase 2 in Bhavnagar district, which will benefit 95 villages. Plans for eco-tourism development at Porbandar's Karli Reservoir are also in progress.
President Pedro Sanchez will proceed to Mumbai following the Vadodara events to meet with Indian industry leaders, attend the Spain-India Forum, and explore Bollywood collaborations, aiming to encourage stronger business and entertainment industry ties between the two nations.