Rajya Sabha member and union textiles minister Smriti Irani, whose husband Zubin hails from Dahanu, adopted Udvada gam (village) on October 31, 2016. This was done under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana of the central government which requires all Members of Parliament to adopt and take responsibility for a village and its development. Elated at her decision, Udvada’s high priest Dastur Khurshed Dastoor commented, "It was certain that Udvada would be Smriti Irani’s choice of a visionary village, due to her love for the Parsi community. Ever since her visit with the then chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi (now Prime Minister of India) back in 2011, Smriti visits Udvada twice a year and had always been associated with various development projects. She is always ready to undertake and execute progressive and constructive measures for our holy town,” a sentiment he shared with Parsi Times of November 5, 2016.
(Clockwise from top left): Smriti Irani, Dastur Khurshed Dastoor;
police outpost inauguration; old police chowky entrance and structure; new outpost
On her visit to the Vatican of the Parsis, Irani first inaugurated the police outpost at the behest of Dastoor. "The smooth functioning and running of every police station comes under the purview of the Home Ministry, and I feel truly honored to have inaugurated this Outpost on the birthday of the first Home Minister of India, Vallabhbhai Patel,” she addressed the gathering in flawless Gujarati. Also present were the local Member of Parliament Dr K. C. Patel and Member of the Legislative Assembly Kanubhai Desai.
Having a new police outpost had become imperative owing to several break-ins and robberies in the homes of many, most of them elderly Parsis (see "Policing in Udvada,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, June 7, 2016). The 2,200 sq ft outpost has been constructed at a cost of Rs 25,00,000.
Irani, who has promised to take upon herself the welfare and progress of Udvada, then proceeded to the Seth Pirojsha Pallanji High School premises, adjacent to the Udvada Gam Panchayat’s office where she announced her plan for 23 projects, towards which she committed a government grant of Rs 50,00,000. The projects include construction of two gates at the entrance of Udvada Gam, complete block paving, streetlights, sewerage, CCTV, drinking water tank, wi-fi, ambulance, primary health center, separate fish and vegetable markets, public toilets, bird feeding towers in tribal areas, two sports grounds (one for cricket), a crematorium, anganwadi, training center for women from the fishing community, construction of two bus stands, beautification and modernization of the primary school, planting of trees on both sides of the roads in the village, a park and a police van for the outpost.