Highlights
- Prior to 2014, India had 74 airports, but in seven years, 66 new airports have been established
- The total number of airports is now 140 (including heliports and water domes) as of April, 2022
- Under the UDAN scheme, more than 420 routes are operationalised as of June, 2022
PM Modi in Deogarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered prayers at the famous Baba Baidyanath temple, one of 12 Jyotirlingas or major Lord Shiva shrines in the country, amid chanting of 'Vedic mantras' and blowing of conch shells.
The temple, also called 'Baidyanath Dham' attracts thousands of pilgrims who come ahead of the 'Shravani Mela' which starts on July 14.
The prime minister performed 'Rudrabhishek' with offerings of curd, milk, turmeric, honey, flowers, 'belpatra' and peda (sweetmeat), the head priest said.
Inaugurated Deoghar airport
PM Modi on Tuesday laid foundation stones for various development initiatives and inaugurated projects with a total value of over Rs 16,800 crore. The prime minister was accorded a rousing welcome by many, including by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on arrival to Jharkhand.
The projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi included the 657-acre Deoghar airport - built at a cost of Rs 401 crore.
He flagged off a Kolkata-bound IndiGo flight from the Deoghar airport to mark the inauguration of Jharkhand’s second airport after Ranchi.
Modi laid the foundation stone of the Deoghar airport on May 25, 2018, as a key step towards providing direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham, which is an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country.
He also inaugurated the in-patient department and operation theatre services at AIIMS, Deoghar. Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for multiple roads, energy and other infrastructure projects.
It includes widening of the Palamu-Gumla road, Rehla-Garhwa bypass and the Mirza Chowki-Farakka road, besides the elevated corridor from Kutchery Chowk to Piska More and Itki RoB in Ranchi.
The widening of the Gorhar-Khairatunda road, the Khairatunda-Barwa Adda section and the Ranchi-Mahulia section are also among the projects.
The Ranchi station redevelopment, Jasidih bypass newline, Godda Coach Maintenance depot, and Garhwa-Mahuria doubling are also part of the railway projects that Modi inaugurated or laid the foundation stone for.
Other projects include the creation of a facility and pipeline network at the coal-bed methane in Jharia block in Parbatpur, Bokaro-Angul section of the Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline and LPG plants at Barhi and Bokaro.
The prime minister also held a roadshow in the state today.
(With inputs from PTI)
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