Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid foundation stones and inaugurated development projects worth more than Rs 3,600 crore at Shivamogga, Karnataka and said the projects would boost business and employment opportunities in the State.

Addressing a gathering, the prime minister said the new airport inaugurated at Shivamogga on Monday had fulfilled the needs of people after a long time. Tradition and technology were combined in the splendid beauty and construction of the airport, he said. The airport would help the youth of the region realise their dreams, he said.

Chief Minister of Karnataka Basvaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi and Ministers from Government of Karnataka were present on the occasion, among others.

After inaugurating the Shivamogga Airport, the Prime Minister took a walk through the facilities. He laid foundation stones for two railway projects in Shivamogga which include the Shivamogga-Shikaripura-Ranebennur new railway line and the Koteganguru Railway coaching depot.

He also laid foundation stones for multiple road development projects to be developed at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 215 crore. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multi-village schemes worth more than Rs 950 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Forty-four Smart City Projects worth more than Rs 895 crore were also inaugurated in Shivamogga city.

The prime minister wished former chief minister and BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa on his birthday today and recalled his contribution to public life. He said his recent speech in the Assembly was an inspiration for everyone in public life. The Prime Minister’s request to honour Yeddyurappa by raising mobiles’ flashlights evoked a massive response from people.

The prime minister said that the development of Karnataka was moving ahead. This path of progress, the Prime Minister said, was marked by development of roadways, airways and i-ways (digital connectivity. The development of the State by its double-engine government was not limited to big cities only, but was spread over villages and tier-2 and tier-3 cities.“The development of Shivamogga is the result of this thinking process,” he said.

The prime minister reiterated that the airport in Shivamogga is being inaugurated at a time when the enthusiasm for air travel is at an all-time high in India. He informed that only recently, Air India completed a deal to purchase the largest number of passenger aircraft in the world. He pointed out that before 2014 during the Congress regime, Air India was generally discussed in a negative light and its identity had always been associated with scams where it was deemed a loss-making business model.

The prime minister elaborated upon the policies of the government that have led to an unprecedented expansion of the aviation sector. He said that unlike the approach of previous governments, the current government pushed for airports in smaller cities. He said that till 2014 the country had 74 airports in the first seven decades of Independence whereas in the last nine years, 74 more airports have been added, connecting many smaller cities.

 “The new airport is going to open doors of development for Shivamogga, the land of nature, culture and agriculture”, the Prime Minister said. He informed that Shivamogga is a gateway to the Malenadu region which is famous for the Western Ghats and home to greenery, wildlife sanctuaries, rivers, the famous Jog Falls and Elephant Camp, Lion Safari in Simha Dham and the mountain ranges of Agumbe.

Mentioning the agricultural uniqueness of Shivamogga, the Prime Minister said that it is among the most fertile regions of the country. He touched upon the impressive variety of the crops of the region. This agricultural wealth is getting a push by robust connectivity measures being undertaken by the double-engine government.  The Prime Minister said that the new airport will help in increasing tourism and resulting economic activity and employment opportunities. The rail connectivity will ensure new markets for the farmers, he added.

The prime minister emphasized that Haveri and Davangere districts will also be benefitted when the Shivamogga-Shikaripura-Ranibennur new line is completed. He underlined that there will be no level crossing in this line making it a safe rail line where fast trains will be able to run smoothly.

The prime minister called the Jal Jeevan Mission in the region a big campaign to provide ease of living to women of Shivamogga. He informed that out of the three lakh families in Shivamogga only 90,000 had tap water connections before the start of the Jal Jeevan Mission. Now, the double-engine government has provided tap water connections to 1.5 lakh families and work is going on to ensure saturation. In the last 3.5 years, 40 lakh families have received tap water connections.