Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that Uttar Pradesh will become the number one state in the country in the coming times under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. “Farmers will advance, they will find work, and Uttar Pradesh’s road infrastructure will match that of the United States,” Gadkari said while addressing an event to lay the foundation stone of a slew of infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,200 crore in Pratapgarh today.

Gadkari lavished rich praise on the UP Chief Minister and said that the law and order situation in the state is a matter of discussion across the country. “The development of any state depends on its industries. Without industry, there will not be any jobs, and without jobs, poverty will not be eradicated,” Gadkari added.

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The minister further said that Uttar Pradesh is making rapid strides in terms of agricultural and infrastructure improvement, and industrial growth. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and CM Yogi, we are making eight green field corridors in Uttar Pradesh, which will be very helpful in the development of the state.” Gadkari added that 40 bypasses are going to be built in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of Rs 41,000 crore.

Several big-ticket projects launched in Uttar Pradesh

The event in Pratapgarh saw the foundation stone laying ceremony for several projects. These include the construction of 43-km-long Pratapgarh-Sultanpur four-lane road at a cost of Rs 1,290 crore, and the 21-km-long Chilbila-Lohia Nagar two-lane paved shoulder road at a cost of Rs 333 crore.

The projects launched today also include the construction of an 11-km-long four-lane CC road on Bhupiyamau-Gode section in Pratapgarh town at a cost of Rs 325 crore, a two-lane paved shoulder bypass from NH-31 to NH-330 of Pratapgarh at a cost of Rs 225 crore and street light, high mast light and development of shelters in Pratapgarh district at a cost of Rs 27 crore.

Gadkari does not have the word “no” in his dictionary: Yogi Adityanath

“I sincerely welcome Nitin Gadkari, who does not have the word “no” in his dictionary,” Chief Minister Adityanath said welcoming Union minister Gadkari. “The work done in the area of infrastructure by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, could not be accomplished in 70 years of Independence,” he added.

CM Adityanath further said that the government had completed several development projects, adding that “today, housing has been provided to 54 lakh poor people in rural and urban areas of the state under PM Awas Yojana.”

Lauding the rise in India’s global prestige, the CM further said people across the country and the world are aware of the works being carried out by the government in terms of infrastructure, poor welfare, security, and international standing.

Referring to his most recent trip to Kashi for the G-20 summit, Adityanath said, “Foreign guests from G20 countries, who have come to Varanasi to attend the meet, were overwhelmed when they saw four-lane roads here.

“Today, Kashi is connected to Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Gorakhpur with four-lane roads. When our foreign visitors saw the Ganges of Kashi, they were astounded by its purity.”

The Chief Minister further noted that Uttar Pradesh had emerged as a model of development and law and order for the country under the leadership of the Prime Minister. “Only those whose unethical activities we have stopped are questioning UP’s law and order today,. We would not have received investments totaling Rs. 35 lakh crores at the Global Investor Summit if law and order had not been improved,” he added.