Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on 25 October 2026 and Bhubaneswar in Odisha during the same tour. In Varanasi, he inaugurated Arvind Limited’s garment factory at Mirzamurad and attended the Indian Air Force Day Aerial Display 2026 at Namo Ghat. In Bhubaneswar, he inaugurated the Reserve Bank of India’s Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute at Jatni.
What Is Namo Ghat in Varanasi
Namo Ghat is a modern riverfront on the river Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, redeveloped from the older Khidkiya Ghat. It lies between Rajghat and Adi Keshav Ghat near the meeting point of the Ganga and Varuna rivers. The ghat gets its name from three large sculptures of hands joined in namaste.
The older Khidkiya Ghat means Window Ghat. It earned this name because it offered a clear view of the crescent shaped curve of the Ganga and the line of ghats on the western bank. Scholars trace the site to the ancient Vedeshwar Ghat mentioned in old donation records, and its past was first noted in modern writing by scholar Moti Chandra in 1931.
The ghat was rebuilt under the Smart City Mission. Its foundation stone was laid in 2018 and the finished riverfront was formally opened on 15 November 2024 on Dev Deepawali day. It is now counted among the 85th to 86th ghats of Varanasi, which traditionally had 84 ghats. The new complex has a wide promenade in three levels, a viewing deck, an open air theatre for about 1,000 people, a floating jetty, parking, a cafeteria, murals of Kashi heritage, and access for persons with disabilities. It is the only ghat in the city designed to be reached by road, water and air, with a helipad planned as part of the later phases.
Why Indian Air Force Day Is Celebrated
Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year on 8 October to mark the raising of the Indian Air Force on 8 October 1932. The day honours air warriors past and present, displays air power to the public, and reviews operational readiness. The 2026 display marked the 94th anniversary of the force.
The force began as an auxiliary of the Royal Air Force under the Indian Air Force Act, 1932. Its first unit, No. 1 Squadron, called the Tigers, became active on 1 April 1933 at Drigh Road in Karachi with four Westland Wapiti aircraft and five Indian pilots. During the Second World War it served in Burma and other theatres, and King George VI added the prefix Royal in 1945.
After Independence in 1947, its assets were divided between India and Pakistan. When India became a republic in 1950, the word Royal was dropped and it became the Indian Air Force (IAF), known in Hindi as Bharatiya Vayu Sena. The President of India is the Supreme Commander, while the operational head is the Chief of the Air Staff. Headquarters is at Vayu Bhawan in New Delhi.
The motto of the force is Nabha Sparsham Deeptam, which means Touch the Sky with Glory. The words come from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Today the IAF is the fourth largest air force in the world, with about 1,700 aircraft and around 1.7 lakh active personnel. It has seven commands, five operational and two functional, led by the Training Command at Bengaluru and the Maintenance Command at Nagpur.
Traditionally the main parade is held at Air Force Station Hindon near Delhi. In recent years the celebrations have moved to other cities to reach more people, including Prayagraj in 2023, Guwahati in 2024 and Varanasi in 2026.
What Happened at the Wings Over Ganges Aerial Display
The IAF Day Aerial Display 2026, titled Wings over Ganges, was held at Namo Ghat on 25 October 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended as Chief Guest. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh were present. It was the final day of a three day air show organised by Central Air Command, and the first large aerial show over the Ganga in Varanasi, which is also the Prime Minister’s parliamentary seat.
Nearly 100 aircraft from 12 bases took part, including 52 fighters, 32 helicopters and 15 transport aircraft. Six fighter types flew together in a single arrowhead, which officials described as a first for a public display. The formations used local names such as Kashi, Mahadev and Vishwanath.
| Aircraft or Team | Role in the Display |
|---|---|
| Su-30MKI, Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Tejas, MiG-29 | Six frontline fighters in joint arrowhead and Prachand formation |
| LCH Prachand | Indigenous light combat helicopter showing strike power |
| IL-76, IL-78, C-295, AN-32 | Transport and support aircraft for airlift and refuelling roles |
| Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team | Nine Hawk aircraft performing loops and the Tricolour break over the Ganga |
| Sarang Helicopter Team | Dhruv helicopters performing coordinated stunts |
| Kashi formation | Three Kiran aircraft in V shape trailing saffron, white and green smoke |
| Omkar formation | Mi-17 helicopters carrying the national flag |
Aircraft from the Indian Navy and the Indian Army also joined, to show joint operations across the three services. The display lasted more than an hour above the river. Large crowds lined the route from Police Lines to Namo Ghat, waving the Tricolour to welcome the Prime Minister.
Arvind Garment Unit to Strengthen Varanasi Textile Ecosystem
The Prime Minister inaugurated Arvind Limited’s new garment manufacturing facility at Khochwan in Mirzamurad, Varanasi, on the morning of 25 October 2026. He arrived at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport and travelled by helicopter to the site, then toured the plant and met women workers. The Governor and Chief Minister accompanied him.
The plant is Arvind’s first manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh. It is built on 5.5 acres with about 65,000 square feet of built up space, at an investment of about ₹150 crore. The company reports a revenue potential of ₹250 crore and employment for more than 1,000 people, mostly women. More than 300 women had already been recruited for training at the time of opening, and the company has built worker hostels with plans to add more housing.
The factory will make knitwear such as T shirts, sportswear, shirts and undergarments using automated sewing systems. It will convert Arvind’s own knitted fabric into finished garments. This process is called forward integration, where a company moves closer to the final product to add value and serve buyers directly.
Arvind Limited is an Ahmedabad based textile group founded in 1931. It is led by Chairman Sanjay Lalbhai, with Punit Lalbhai and Kulin Lalbhai as Vice Chairmen. The group makes denim, woven fabric, knits and finished garments, with denim output of more than 60 million metres per year and garment capacity of more than 83 million pieces. Its global customer base is expected to carry garments made in Banaras to foreign markets, with Europe and the United Kingdom named as key opportunities after India’s recent trade agreements with those regions.
For Varanasi, a city long known for handloom silk and Banarasi weaving, the unit adds organised apparel capacity. It is expected to support skill training, local suppliers, logistics firms and services, and to strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s pitch as a destination for manufacturing investment with a focus on women led development.
RBI Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar
The Prime Minister inaugurated the Reserve Bank of India’s Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute at Info Valley-II in Jatni, near Bhubaneswar, on 25 October 2026. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, Odisha Governor Brajmohan Ram and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended. The projects cost ₹169 crore and cover 18.55 acres. The foundation stone was laid by then RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on 22 March 2023.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is India’s central bank. It was set up on 1 April 1935 under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, on the advice of the Hilton Young Commission. Its head office first stood in Kolkata and moved to Mumbai in 1937, where it remains. It was nationalised in 1949 and is fully owned by the Government of India. It issues currency notes, conducts monetary policy, regulates banks, manages foreign exchange and acts as banker to the government and to banks.
The Jatni campus is the RBI’s second data centre after Navi Mumbai. It holds Uptime Institute Tier IV certification, the highest global standard for data centre strength and backup. It has four units that will host mission critical payment and settlement systems such as RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) and NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer), along with other central bank platforms. The goal is to improve the reach, speed and reliability of digital financial services.
The site was chosen for its geographic stability. Officials said Jatni is away from earthquake prone zones and high risk border areas, which lowers exposure to natural disasters and geopolitical shocks.
The Cybersecurity Training Institute will train staff and build research capacity in cybersecurity and enterprise technology for the banking, financial services and insurance sector. Its focus areas include artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, cloud systems and big data. This matters because digital payments now touch crores of users every day, and a single outage or breach can halt shops, salaries and public trust.
The Prime Minister said modern conflict is not limited to weapons, since an economy can be weakened by cyber attacks on banks. He said India could not meet new threats with old systems and tools, and that the past decade had brought banking to excluded households through nearly 60 crore Jan Dhan accounts, Mudra loans, and support to street vendors, artisans and women’s self help groups. The next decade, he said, must make banking more efficient and reliable, with eastern India and Odisha acting as a growth engine through semiconductors, electronics, data centres and advanced computing.
Key Takeaways
- The IAF Day Aerial Display 2026 titled Wings over Ganges was held at Namo Ghat, Varanasi on 25 October 2026 for the 94th anniversary of the IAF.
- Namo Ghat, earlier called Khidkiya Ghat, lies between Rajghat and Adi Keshav Ghat and was formally opened on 15 November 2024.
- Indian Air Force Day is observed every year on 8 October, marking the raising of the force on 8 October 1932 with headquarters at Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi.
- Arvind Limited’s Varanasi garment unit was built with about ₹150 crore investment and is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, mostly for women.
- The RBI’s Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute at Jatni near Bhubaneswar was built at ₹169 crore over 18.55 acres and has Tier IV certification.
