Gandhinagar, Oct 8 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday visited the newly redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station in Gujarat and inaugurated an eco-friendly tea stall run by a women's self-help group.

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Shah. who is the Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel sipped tea in clay cups made by this SHG, which is run by 14 women of Rupal village here.

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At the stall, which also has a small display area adjacent to showcase earthen pots and other decorative items made from clay by the self-help group, Shah asked the SHG to increase production of clay tea cups so that the government can phase out plastic cups.

"I want you to encourage others to take up pottery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also floated a scheme wherein potters get electric pottery wheels, which reduces labour. I want each village under Gandhinagar constituency to have such electric pottery wheels. The district collector will make sure of its availability," Shah said.

"The administration will make sure your products (tea cups) get sold. Railways will buy your clay cups. We want to phase out plastic cups. But to do that, we need more clay cups. So please increase production. This will not only give employment, but also help in reducing plastic," Shah told the SHG members.

In order to encourage them, Shah, on behalf of the state government, placed an order to purchase 5,000 clay cups, and handed over the order to the SHG's leader Bhagwati Prajapati.

Shah, who is on a one-day visit to the state, then left for Pansar near Gandhinagar city to address a gathering and dedicate a primary health centre.

On the way, he inaugurated a PSA oxygen plant at Premswarup Swami Multispeciality Hospital as well as inaugurated the Swaminarayan International School in Saij in Kalol taluka here.

Shah is scheduled to reach Mansa town, his native place, and visit a government-run hospital, after which he will Bahuchar Mata temple to offer prayers, a tradition he has been following since many years on the occasion of Navratri, said officials.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)