Taking a swipe at previous governments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Uttar Pradesh was kept in deprivation and darkness earlier. He added that the State was now getting what it always deserved and was making its mark internationally under a “double-engine” BJP rule. 

After laying the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport in Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, which would one of the largest aerodromes in Asia, Mr Modi highlighted the development activities in the poll-bound State and said that the new airport would help the State become an export centre whereby even MSMEs would have easier access to overseas markets. He said that the Noida International Airport, slated to be completed by 2024, would become the logistics gateway for North India. He asserted that infrastructure is “not politics for us but part of national policy”. 

“We are making sure that the projects do not get stuck, do not keep hanging…we try to ensure that the infrastructure work is completed within the stipulated time,” Mr Modi said.

In an apparent dig at the Opposition, Mr Modi said that some political parties in the country had always kept their self-interest paramount. “The thinking of these people is self-interest, their own development and that of their family,” Mr Modi said. “Whereas, we follow the spirit of Nation First… Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas is our mantra,” Mr Modi added.

The Jewar airport, the second international aerodrome in the Delhi-National Capital Region, is expected to be operational by September 2024 with an initial capacity to handle 1.2 crore passengers per annum. 

The airport, spread over 1,330 acres, will be developed by Zurich Airport International.