Kushinagar (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the double engine government was changing Uttar Pradesh with double speed.

Flight academies are also being set up and our drone policy will benefit agriculture, health and other sectors

Addressing a rally in Kushinagar, the Prime Minister said that the Yogi Adityanath government has defeated the land mafia in the state.

“Previous governments were hand in glove with the mafia. Corruption, crime and scam was the order of the day. They were not Samajwadis but Parivarwadis. They forgot about the state’s welfare and focussed on their own welfare,” he said.

Modi pointed out that benefits of all schemes are now directly reaching the target beneficiaries.

“Rs 80,000 crore has reached the bank accounts of farmers. The PM Swamitva Yojana will open new doors of prosperity in rural areas. Under this, the ownership documents of the houses in villages will be provided to people. Women have benefitted the most in Yogi Adityanath’s regime. They have got houses registered in their names and have toilets,” he said.

Lauding the Yogi Adityanath government, Modi said that Uttar Pradesh was leading in every field — be it Covid control, vaccination or Swachh Bharat.

“In just two years, 27 lakh people received connections for clean drinking water. Double engine government is improving situation with double strength. Otherwise, the government which was here before 2017 was not concerned with your problems,” he stated.

The Prime Minister went on to highlight the various development projects that he launched on Wednesday, including opening of an airport, widening of the road to Maharajganj and a medical college.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport and said that this was a ‘manifestation of decades of aspirations and efforts’.

The first flight from Sri Lanka touched down at the Kushinagar airport on Wednesday morning, bringing a high-level delegation that comprised ministers and Buddhist monks.

“This was my commitment and we have fulfilled it. We lay special emphasis on linking Buddhist destinations, improving hospitality facilities and ensuring the comfort of tourists. This airport will not only serve tourists from India but also Buddhists from across the world, including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Cambodia and other countries,” he said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that other Buddhist destinations like Lumbini, Sarnath and Bodh Gaya were at a short distance from Kushinagar which added to the importance of the Buddhist circuit.

He said India had expanded its connectivity by increasing the number of airports and in the coming years, India would have 200 more airports.

“Flight academies are also being set up and our drone policy will benefit agriculture, health and other sectors, including disaster management.

On this occasion, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, while welcoming the guests, said that flights from Kushinagar would soon begin for Mumbai and Kolkata and other destinations.

He said that 54 crore Buddhists across the globe would benefit with this airport becoming functional.

Built at a cost of Rs 260 crore and spread over 3,600 square metres, the airport is crucial for religious tourism as Kushinagar is the place where Lord Buddha attained ‘Mahaparinirvana’. It is one of the four prominent Buddhist circuits. The airport will also serve nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh as well as Bihar.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Kushinagar was the ninth airport in the state and 11 more were nearing completion.