New Delhi, September 08 (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat and Maharashtra today. During his visit, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore in Vadodara, Gujarat. He will then inaugurate the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai and address the gathering.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate, lay the foundation stones for and dedicate various development projects to the nation in Vadodara at around 12 noon on September 8. A key highlight will be the dedication to the nation of three important sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The construction of these 326-kilometre-long sections has cost more than Rs 20,700 crore. They include the Sanand (North)-Makarpura, New Umargam-New Safale and New Safale-JNPT sections.

With the commissioning of these sections, the Dedicated Freight Corridor network will become operational along its entire length. Direct rail connectivity to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) will facilitate the faster movement of import and export cargo. This is expected to strengthen connectivity between industrial centres and ports, reduce logistics costs and ease pressure on Mumbai’s rail network.

Prime Minister Modi will also flag off freight train services from New Sanand (North), New Makarpura, New Umargam and New JNPT, Mumbai. In addition, he will flag off a new train service between Vadodara and Tanda Road, which will benefit people in Vadodara, Chhota Udepur and Alirajpur districts.

He will also dedicate to the nation the Jobat-Tanda Road new railway line constructed under the Chhota Udepur-Dhar project. The railway line will connect remote and tribal areas of Alirajpur with the national railway network.

Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stones for three railway projects spanning 329 kilometres and involving an investment of more than Rs 9,700 crore. These include the third and fourth railway lines between Vadodara and Ratlam, the gauge-conversion project between Miyagam Karjan, Choranda and Malsar, and the Vishwamitri-Dabhoi doubling project. These projects will help enhance passenger and freight transportation capacity, reduce congestion on railway routes and strengthen connectivity between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

He will also lay the foundation stones for three National Highway projects costing around Rs 1,780 crore. These include the six-laning of the Kamrej-Chalthan section of NH-48; construction of additional structures, including major bridges over the Tapi and Narmada rivers, on the Vadodara-Surat section; and construction of grade-separated structures at Abhava, Mindhola and Khajod junctions on NH-53.

In addition, the Prime Minister will inaugurate six-lane flyovers at Kandari Chowkdi and Luvara Patiya on the Vadodara-Surat section of NH-48 to improve road safety and address black spots—accident-prone locations—along the highway.

Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stones for and inaugurate various projects of the Gujarat government worth around Rs 2,600 crore. These include the Vadodara Urban Development Authority Ring Road Phase-II, a 110-MW floating solar project at the Kadana Dam and a new office building for the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. Housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and a water-supply project for 11 villages in eastern Vadodara will also be inaugurated.

At around 5:45 pm, he will inaugurate the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai and address the gathering. The seventh edition of GFF, one of the world’s leading and most influential annual fintech conferences, is being held in Mumbai from September 8 to 11.

Since 2020, GFF has evolved into an international platform for dialogue, bringing together global stakeholders including policymakers, regulators, central banks, financial institutions, fintech companies, technology firms, investors and academics.

This year’s theme is “Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum-Inclusive Finance for Trusted, Connected and Global Systems.” The conference will deliberate on developing trusted, inclusive and effective financial systems worldwide through emerging technologies such as agentic AI, programmable finance, tokenisation and quantum technology.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar