NOIDA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Centre was taking all possible steps to ensure that the West Asia crisis, which has been raging for over a month, does not impact the common man.
After unveiling the first phase of the Noida International Airport at Jewar built at a cost of around Rs 11,200 crore, Modi told the large gathering that India imports a very large quantity of crude oil and gas from the conflict-affected region. "The government is taking every possible step to ensure that the burden of this crisis does not fall on ordinary families and farmers," he said.
The PM commended sugarcane farmers for reducing India's dependence on crude oil by increasing ethanol production from their crop. “Without the increase in ethanol production and its blending with petrol, India would have had to import an additional four-and-a-half crore barrels, approximately 700 crore litres of crude oil annually,” he said. "The hard work of our farmers has given the country enormous relief during this time of crisis.” Ethanol has not only benefited the country but also the farmers, with approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore worth of foreign exchange being saved, he elaborated.
While commending the rapid strides made by UP on the infrastructure front in his speech, the PM repeatedly dwelt on the West Asia crisis. Stating that he discussed the issue in detail in the Parliament as well as with Chief Ministers recently, he appealed to the people to face the situation with a calm mind and remain patient. “What is in the interest of Indians and in the interest of India, that alone is the policy and strategy of the government of India," he said. He expressed confidence that all political parties would back the country's united efforts.
Even during a global crisis, India continued to make rapid progress, he stressed. In Western Uttar Pradesh alone, four major projects have been inaugurated or had the foundation stone laid in recent weeks. "The foundation stone of a major semiconductor factory in Noida was laid, the country's first Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat train gained speed, the Meerut Metro was expanded, and today the Noida International Airport is being inaugurated by all of you in a short period." These are clear examples of a 'double engine' government, Modi added.
Noida airport is the symbol of a developed UP and will connect North India to the entire world, he stated.
“A plane would take off every two minutes from here in the future,” he said. “The airport will benefit a vast region encompassing Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Etawah, Bulandshahr and Faridabad,” the PM said. The airport will bring numerous new opportunities for the farmers and youth of western UP, he added.
Noida was treated like an ATM in the past for the purposes of looting, the PM alleged. The Jewar airport was approved by Atal Bihari Vajpayee as early as 2003. “From 2004 to 2014 the airport remained only in the files. It was only after the NDA government assumed office in Delhi that work on it has progressed and the airport has neared completion,” he added.
“UP has now emerged as one of the states with the highest number of international airports in India,” the PM said.
The region was emerging as a logistic hub for two major freight corridors with special railway tracks laid for goods trains, which have enhanced North India's connectivity with the seas of Bengal and Gujarat. "This kind of multi-modal connectivity is making UP a major attraction for investors worldwide," explained PM Modi.
Elaborating on the remarkable progress on the aviation front, the PM said India had 160 airports as on date and air connectivity is now reaching not just metropolitan cities but also smaller towns, adding that the number of airports in UP have gone up to 17. New airports create a demand for new aircraft and this creates job opportunities in the aviation industry for the youth, he said.
“More than 1.67 crore citizens have travelled by air at affordable rates by booking tickets under the UDAN scheme,” Modi added.
Highlighting that 85 per cent of Indian aircraft still have to go abroad for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services. PM Modi noted the foundation stone of an MRO facility has been laid here at Jewar. “When ready, it will serve aircraft from India and abroad, generating revenue for the country, keeping our money within India, and creating numerous jobs for the youth," he said.
The Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Rail has been used by over 2.5 crore passengers so far and it has cut the journey time from hours to minutes, he said.
Referring to the unprecedented investment in modern infrastructure for a Viksit Bharat, Modi specified that over the past eleven years, the infrastructure budget has been increased more than six-fold, with Rs 17 lakh crore spent on highways and expressways. Railway electrification has expanded to over 40,000 kilometres with nearly 100 per cent of the broad-gauge network now electrified.