Modi's new India: From 'hawai chappal' to 'hawai jahaz'

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress party and alleged that it had completely ignored the aviation sector of the country before 2014. He also claimed that a person who is wearing 'hawai chappal' can take 'hawai jahaz'(Aeroplane) in the country today.

Speaking at the inauguration of Shivamogga's Kuvempu airport, PM Modi said, "Congress never had a vision to make common man take the flight in this country. We wanted to change this mindset by developing airports beyond the capital cities. Today, a person who wears 'hawai chappal' is able to travel in 'hawai jahaz'. This is nothing but the result of our double engine government."

PM Modi also said that there will be a day where the foreigners travel in 'made in India' aircrafts. "As of today, we are importing aircrafts from other countries. But the day where the people of developed nations using 'made in India' aircrafts is not too far. Our projects in the aviation sector speak volumes about our commitment towards development of the nation," he added.

Shivamogga airport is the 9th domestic airport in Karnataka. Currently Karnataka's domestic airports are located at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ballari, Bidar, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Mangaluru. Both Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports are also the international airports in the state. The Shivamogga airport is built at the cost of around Rs. 600 crores out of which Rs. 449 crores were spent on the infrastructure of the airport. The remaining amount was spent on land acquisition.

Modi on Monday released the 13th instalment of over Rs 16,000 crore, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), through direct benefit transfer to more than eight crore beneficiaries.

Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. During the programme, Modi also dedicated the redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building, to the nation. The railway station has been redeveloped at an approximate cost of about Rs 190 crore to provide world-class amenities to the passengers.

Another railway project that was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister is the rail line doubling project between Londa-Belagavi-Ghataprabha section at Belagavi. This project, developed at a cost of about Rs 930 crore, will enhance line capacity along the busy Mumbai – Pune – Hubballi – Bengaluru railway line, leading to promotion of trade, commerce and economic activities in the region, according to an official release.