Lucknow: Following the inauguration of the new terminal at Lucknow airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh said that there has been tremendous development in Lucknow under PM Modi's leadership, adding that the Prime Minister "converted the challenges into opportunities."
The project launched by PM Modi includes 12 new terminal buildings of Pune, Kolhapur, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Delhi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad, Shravasti and Adampur Airports, along with laying of the foundation stone for new terminal buildings of Kadapa, Hubballi and Belagavi airports on Sunday. Addressing the gathering after the inauguration of the new terminal at Lucknow airport, Rajnath Singh said that there have been a lot of challenges but under PM Modi's leadership, these challenges were transformed into opportunities.
"Earlier, air travel was considered to be an elite class thing but we ended the gap between the poor and the rich by enhancing the regional connectivity, through the scheme, Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN). If someone should be credited with this, it is our PM Narendra Modi," he added.
He further said that the double-engine government, under the guidance of the Prime Minister is progressing by leaps and bounds.
"I am fortunate that I am the MP from Lucknow, which was once represented by revered Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Being an MP from Lucknow, it makes me feel proud that our city and India are continuously developing under the leadership of PM Modi," he added.
He further asserted that in 2014 we had 74 airports, but now we have 149 airports in our country. "The basic infrastructure in the aviation sector has been improved massively, it is evident from the fact that in 2014 we had 74 airports, but now we have 149 airports in our country," he added.
Rajnath Singh further said that our government has moved forward from class banking to mass banking. We have made the poor in this country equal to the elite class, he said.
'We have connected the poor to the banking system through Jan Dhan Yojana. We moved forward from class banking to mass banking. We have made the poor of this country equal to the elite class. You can see the same thing in internet connectivity also. Earlier, only the rich had access to the Internet. It is the result of the work done by our government that today everyone, rich and poor, has internet connectivity," he added.
The new terminal buildings at Kanpur Airport, Rajkot International Airport, Tezu Airport and Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham were also inaugurated. The projects are aimed at augmenting passenger amenities and giving a fillip to the local economy.
The 12 new terminal buildings are being developed at a total cost of Rs. 8,903 Crore, having a combined capacity to serve 615 Lakh passengers annually.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, these terminal buildings are fully equipped with various passenger facilities like check-in counters, aerobridges, baggage conveyors and sufficient concessionaire area. —ANI
