Voted to power in 2014, PM Modi’s birthday celebrations over last 8 years

New Delhi, Sep 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 72 on Saturday. But, since becoming the prime minister in 2014, Narendra Modi and the BJP have used the occasion of his birthday to launch 'seva' and development initiatives.

This year too, he will release cheetahs brought from Namibia in a Madhya Pradesh national park in a boost to the country's wildlife, and interact with women self-help groups.

Here is a snippet of major events held on his birthday since Modi assumed the highest executive office in 2014.

Different ministries and state governments, especially those run by the BJP, organise their own initiatives to mark the day.

2021: Over 2.5 crore Covid vaccine doses, a record, were administered across the country.

2020: Amid COVID-19 concerns across the country, the BJP focussed on 'seva' (welfare) programmes to help people.

2019: The prime minister spent the day in Gujarat. He visited the Sardar Sarovar Dam to witness the landmark of the Narmada river dam reaching a height 138.68 metres for the first time.

2018: He visited his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. He visited a school and interacted with students. He also visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

2017: The prime minister inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. He also visited the family of Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh to express his condolences on his death.

2016: He visited Navsari in his home state to attend a function where aid was distributed to differently-abled persons. He also spent time with tribals in Limkeda and later inaugurated drinking water and irrigation projects in the parched region of Dahod district.

2015: The prime minister had visited Shauryanjali, a military exhibition to mark the golden jubilee of the Indo-Pak War of 1965.

2014: Modi had hosted a dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping in Ahmedabad.

The prime minister has often travelled to Gujarat on his birthday to seek the blessings of his mother Heeraben.