Lucknow : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that development and heritage are two of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus areas, saying that during the tenure of the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, the country has witnessed for the first time that development works are inseparably aligned with the aspirations of people.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, "Unprecedented work has been done both in terms of development and heritage under PM Modi's leadership." "Infrastructure is one area that gets maximum support from people, and the government's achievements are significant in this regard. The number of highways has doubled. Similarly, since 2014, the number of airports has increased from 74 to more than 150. During the Congress regime, there was only one AIIMS, which increased to six under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's prime ministership, and further expanded to 22 during PM Modi's tenure," he added.
Notably, the proliferation of IITs, IIMs, and IIITs and the implementation of the One District, One Medical College initiative are emblematic of the new narrative of development, he elaborated. CM Yogi stated that for the first time in the country, respect for heritage has also been observed, citing the restoration of the Vishwanath Dham in Kashi, the grandeur of Mahakaal, Kedarnath, Badrinath, and Somnath temples, and the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya after a gap of five centuries as glaring examples of this.
"Previously, accommodating 50 people simultaneously at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was challenging. Now, even if 50,000 visitors arrive, there are no issues. Similarly, hosting 500 individuals in Ayodhya posed difficulties in the past, but today, even accommodating 5 lakh people presents no trouble," he said. CM Yogi stated that the harmony between 'Vikas' (development) and 'Virasat' (heritage) witnessed in the country today is attributable to the vision and determination of PM Modi's leadership. He expressed confidence that this support will turn into blessings, allowing the NDA to form a majority government once again under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.