NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh‘s Vizianagaram district, a nearly Rs 5,000 crore project that the state government says will transform North Andhra into a major economic and industrial hub. Calling the airport a key milestone in the state’s growth story, the PM said the NDA government was working at “double speed”for the state’s development.During his address, the Prime Minister also took a veiled swipe at the Gandhi family, saying airports in the past were often named after “a single family”. He said the NDA government had instead chosen to honour national icons by naming airports after figures such as Valmiki, Sant Ravidas and Alluri Sitarama Raju.The PM was accorded a grand ceremonial welcome, with around 13,500 tribal women performing the traditional Dhimsa dance. The airport premises were adorned with displays celebrating Andhra Pradesh’s rich cultural heritage, including Etikoppaka artwork and motifs depicting the state’s geographical identity.PM Modi was received by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, and union civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu. He later witnessed the Dhimsa performance before formally inaugurating the airport.Developed by the GMR Group, the airport has been named after freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju. It has been designed to handle six million passengers annually in its first phase, with a long-term expansion plan to increase capacity to 40 million passengers a year. Commercial flight operations are scheduled to begin on August 17.Also Read:PM Modi inaugurates Rs 5,640-crore Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Andhra Pradesh — See picsThe Andhra Pradesh government has projected the airport as a key catalyst for industrial growth, employment generation, exports, skill development and improved connectivity across North Andhra.Following the inauguration, chief minister Naidu felicitated PM Modi with a traditional shawl before he laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated multiple development projects worth over Rs 17,900 crore.While addressing a public gathering in Bhogapuram after the airport’s inaugural ceremony, PM Modi said Andhra would emerge as a manufacturing hub under Naidu’s leadership. He said the NDA government was working at “double speed” for the state’s development, highlighted railway projects worth around Rs 1 lakh crore, noted that the number of airports in India had increased from 74 to 166 over the past 12 years.
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The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Andhra Pradesh’s first semiconductor manufacturing facility under the India Semiconductor Mission, which is expected to produce around 96 million semiconductor chips annually. In addition, he launched power transmission projects worth over Rs 9,900 crore to strengthen the National Grid and facilitate renewable energy integration from Kurnool and Ananthapuram.He further dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for National Highway projects worth over Rs 1,880 crore, including stretches of NH-365BG, the Tadipatri Bypass on NH-67, and a high-level bridge at Lingasamudram on NH-565. According to the government, these projects will improve regional connectivity, reduce travel time between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, ease congestion and enhance road safety.
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