25 years as Head of Government; PM Narendra Modi shares picture of himself taking oath as Gujarat Chief Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday commemorated the 25th anniversary of his 'service as Head of Government' by taking oath as Gujarat Chief Minister. Sharing a picture of the day he first took charge as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, the Prime Minister recalled his public journey and thanked the people of India.

"On this day in 2001, I took oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the first time," PM Modi wrote. "With the continuous blessings of my fellow citizens, I am entering my 25th year of service as the head of a government," he said.

"Over all these years, I have constantly strived to improve the lives of our people and contribute to the progress of this great nation that has nurtured us all," PM Modi added.

Modi served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from October 2001 to May 2014 before being elected as the Prime Minister.

As Chief Minister, he set up a dedicated department for climate change to find innovative solutions. This was taken forward at the 2015 Paris COP21 summit and Prime Minister Modi played a key role in the high-level discussions.

As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi was also instrumental in transforming the state after the devastating earthquake of January 26, 2001. Subsequently, he introduced new mechanisms to combat floods and droughts in Gujarat, an initiative that was praised internationally.

He also spearheaded the introduction of evening courts to ensure that people's problems were resolved quickly.