It is not so easy to erase India’s Sanatan Dharma, its culture, and the faith of the Indian people, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, citing the reconstruction of the Somnath temple in Gujarat despite being “destroyed 16 times”.
“A thousand years ago, our magnificent Somnath temple was destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni. After that, it was repeatedly attacked by other invaders, such as Alauddin Khilji, Ahmed Shah, Mahmud Begada, and Aurangzeb. But the temple was rebuilt every time… The destroyers believed in destruction, and the builders believed in creation,” Shah said while addressing a gathering at Mansa town in Gandhinagar district after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for various projects of ₹267 crore.
Referring to the Somnath Swabhiman Parv inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 11, Shah noted that the event marked 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni’s invasion of the temple in 1026. “Today, 1,000 years later, those destroyers have disappeared, but the Somnath temple still stands proudly in front of the sea with its flag soaring into the sky,” he added.
“This is a message to the whole world that it is not so easy to erase India’s Sanatan Dharma, Indian culture, and the faith of the Indian people. It is eternal and immortal, like the sun and the moon,” the Union minister said, adding that a magnificent Somnath corridor is also being built under the leadership of PM Modi.
Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Gujarat, also laid the foundation stone of the BSL-4 Bio-Containment Facility of the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre in Gandhinagar.
Shah said that this will be India’s second high-level laboratory after the National Institute of Virology in Pune. “This is the first such lab in the country being built by a state government, and the credit for this goes to Gujarat. At a cost of ₹362 crore, a vast complex covering 11,000 square metres is being built, which will become a strong fortress of the nation’s bio-security… we lagged behind the world in cutting-edge research for many years, but with the BSL-4 Bio-Containment Facility, young people working in the biotechnology sector will get new opportunities and India will be able to move ahead in this field. This facility will provide scientists with a platform to conduct research on highly infectious and deadly viruses in a safe environment.”
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On Tuesday, Shah also laid the foundation stone of the Pharmaceutical Academy for Global Excellence (PAGE) at Sanathal, Ahmedabad. PAGE is an industry-led national skilling initiative of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) companies. IPA members have earmarked USD 50 million towards this initiative aimed at pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality excellence.
The event also marked the unveiling of the India Pharma Archives, commemorating 25 years of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, highlighting the sector’s role as a strategic national asset, and making it a landmark with the launch of two national initiatives focused on capability-building and institutional legacy.
“The pharmaceutical sector is a strategic national asset-one that directly impacts public health, economic strength, and global confidence in India’s capabilities. PAGE is a significant step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat, strengthening domestic capabilities through advanced skills, quality excellence, and industry-academia collaboration. Under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, India will move decisively from ‘Make in India’ to ‘Discover and Make in India’, with quality and innovation as pillars of growth,” Shah said in his address.
The India Pharma Archives initiative, developed by IPA in collaboration with the IIM Ahmedabad Archives, documents India’s journey from import dependence at Independence to a globally trusted source of affordable, quality-assured medicines and vaccines. Based on extensive archival research in India and overseas, it includes first-person oral histories of industry founders, scientific leaders, and policymakers, and comprises a Coffee Table Book, The Alchemy of Cure, and a digital platform curated to rigorous academic standards.
Dr Sharvil Patel, President IPA and Managing Director, Zydus Lifesciences, said, “PAGE represents the industry’s collective commitment to building world-class manufacturing and quality capabilities through skilled talent, practical training, and strong quality systems. Alongside this, The Alchemy of Cure captures 25 years of India’s pharmaceutical journey-driven by science, enterprise, and purpose-and preserves this legacy to inspire future generations and reinforce India’s role in advancing global health.”