Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of Noida International Airport at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, saying it would become the logistics gateway of northern India.

This airport would make the entire region a powerful symbol of the ”National Gatishakti Masterplan”, he said addressing a gathering on the occasion.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gen V K Singh, Sanjiv Baliyan, S P Singh Baghel and B L Varma were among those present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said the new India of the 21st century was building one of the best modern infrastructure today. “Better roads, better rail network, better airports are not just infrastructure projects but they transform the entire region, transforming people’s lives completely”, he said.

Commenting on the economic fallout of infrastructure development, he said employment opportunities were created during airport construction. The airport also required thousands of people to run smoothly. Therefore “this airport will also give new employment to thousands of people of western UP”.

The Prime Minister remarked that after seven decades of independence, for the first time, Uttar Pradesh has started getting what it has always deserved. With the efforts of the double engine government, Uttar Pradesh was turning into the most connected region of the country.

He said NOIDA International Airport would play a major role in the growing aviation sector of India and would be a key center of maintenance, repair and operations of aircraft. He informed that the maintenance, repair and overhaul MRO facility was coming up in 40 acre, giving employment to hundreds of young people. Today India was spending thousands of crore rupees for getting these services from abroad.

Commenting on the integrated multi-modal cargo hub that is coming up, he said that in a land-locked state like Uttar Pradesh  airport would be very useful. This hub would serve industrial centres like Aligarh, Mathura, Meerut, Agra, Bijnor, Moradabad and Bareilly. He said Khurja artisans, Meerut Sports Industry, Saharanpur furniture, brass industry of Moradabad, Agra footwear and Petha industry would get a huge support from the upcoming infrastructure.

The Prime Minister said Uttar Pradesh, which the previous governments kept in deprivation and darkness, was making its mark not only nationally but also internationally. He cited Jewar airport as an example of how the earlier governments in UP and at the centre ignored the development of western Uttar Pradesh. He said two decades ago the BJP government of UP had conceptualised this project. But later this airport was entangled in the tussle of the earlier governments in Delhi and Lucknow for many years. The government which was earlier in UP had written a letter to the then central government and told that the project of this airport should be shelved. ”Now with the efforts of the double engine government, today we are witnessing the Bhumi Pujan of the same airport,” he added.

Modi said “infrastructure is not part of politics for us but part of national policy (Rashtra Niti). We are making sure that the projects do not get stuck, do not hang in limbo or do not go astray. We try to ensure that the infrastructure work is completed within the stipulated time”.

The Prime Minister commented that some political parties in the country have always kept their self-interest paramount. “The thinking of these people is self-interest, only their own and the development of their family. We follow the spirit of nation first. Sabka Saath – Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas – Sabka Efforts is our mantra.”