Diversification of agriculture towards energy, power need of hour: Gadkari

He also said that Uttar Pradesh, which was once regarded as 'bimaru pradesh', is moving towards development now

Stressing that diversification of agriculture towards energy and power sectors is the need of the hour, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday asked Uttar Pradesh to move ahead in hydrogen production so that the country could become an energy exporting country.

The Union minister also said that Uttar Pradesh, which was once regarded as 'bimaru pradesh', is moving towards development now and hailed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for improving the law and order of the state.

"Diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector is the need of the hour and to make our farmers prosperous, Uttar Pradesh has sugarcane farmers in large numbers. "The Narendra Modi government has made policies to change the future of the farmers and it is bringing a change," the minister said.

 

He was speaking after jointly inaugurating two national highway projects worth over Rs 3,300 crores in the state capital with local MP and union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In his address, Rajnath Singh hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath respectively for their vision and mission in writing a new chapter of Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh.

The two National Highway projects inaugurated included a four-lane elevated corridor at Madiaon IIM crossing on Lucknow-Sitapur section in Lucknow and four-lane widening of Naviganj to Mitrasenpur on Aligarh-Kanpur section.

Inauguration/ foundation laying of a total of 164 development schemes worth Rs 475 crores was also held on the occasion.

"UP was once a 'bimaru pradesh' and it is now moving towards development and investment is coming its way. Sukhi, Samridh and Shaktishali Bharat is the dream of all for which infrastructure should be of international level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the highest priority to infrastructure development," Gadkari said in his speech.

"Yogi has improved the law and order, taken strict action for which the people all over the country are thanking him."

"I am happy that Yogi ji has given a good vision for the development of Uttar Pradesh. Since 2004, I used to talk about ethanol, happy that with the ethanol of UP, it would not just be vehicles but in the coming time, the aeroplanes of the world will also fly with the ethanol of UP as aviation fuel," he said.

"We had requested Indian Oil and they are planning this. It will make the farmers not only a provider of food, but also an energy provider. We also plan to make farmers bitumen-daata (provider of bitumen needed for laying roads) also as farmers cannot be prosperous with wheat, rice and sugar. The Government of India made policies to change the future of the farmers, to make them prosperous," he said.

Elaborating, he said, "Not just ethanol but also methanol, bio CNG, electric and hydrogen is our future. In the coming days, UP should move ahead in hydrogen production, our energy importing country will become an energy exporting country."

Referring to the works done by his ministry, Gadkari said by 2024 end works worth Rs 5 lakh crores in UP will be completed and some others will be started.

I am happy that roads of UP are good, I remember that when I had come to the state earlier for a poll campaign, a man driving a Hero Honda going with his wife kept turning behind and I had said that he is seeing if wife is still there. This was the state of the roads (before the BJP came to power)," he said.

"The Modi and Yogi governments came and the fortune of UP has changed. I have a long list, but I will only say that whatever Rajnath Singh (Lucknow MP) has demanded I have announced and I am happy that I am also inaugurating them," Gadkari, who gave a detailed account of the works done for improving the road network of the state, said.

The union minister said that he will also inaugurate the Lucknow ring road before October along with Rajnath Singh and Yogi Adityanath.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh said that the new chapter of Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh is being written, and PM Narendra Modi's vision and UP CM's mission has a lot of contribution to it.

Yogi has set a target of making a new UP and he is involved in it fully. With this pace of work and the help of Gadkari, I can say that there is no doubt in getting the state's economy to touch the one trillion economy mark.

In his address, UP CM Yogi Adityanath appreciated the work of the Union Road Transport Minister saying that nine years ago development could not take place due to weak infrastructure.

Due to this, even new employment opportunities could not be developed. Today India is becoming self-sufficient in every field. Now BrahMos missile is going to be built in the defence corridor of the state capital, Yogi Adityanath pointed out.