Om Birla repeatedly pressed for Kota airport, says Civil Aviation Minister Naidu

Kota, Mar 7 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had asked for an airport in Kota and kept pressing him about it in every Parliament session, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday during the laying of the foundation for a Greenfield airport here.

Addressing the gathering, Naidu praised Kota as the city associated with people from every part of the country through their children studying here and for its sandstone in construction.

The Greenfield airport will now facilitate people from any part of the country to fly to Kota, which has been difficult in the absence of an airport, he said.

Naidu recalled, "Birla called me into his chamber and said, 'Greenfield airport has to be constructed in Kota, tell me when you are going to do it?'. Since then, he has been pressing me in every session about its construction." On the occasion, the Speaker thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the promise of the airport that he made in Kota during the 2023 campaign.

He also thanked Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Naidu and said, "both are committed to completing it by 2027".

The Union minister said, "Under the leadership of Modi, a new airport is being constructed in the country every 45 days, and it is only because 'Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai'." Earlier, leaders and people used to demand railway connectivity to their city, but now they demand air connectivity, he said.

The airport will bring a huge difference in the lives of the people with growth and opportunities for employment, Naidu said, mentioning the example of Bihar's Purnia, where the airport witnessed footfall of one lakh people in five months, adding one operational flight offered employment to over 100 people within the premises of the airport alone.

Addressing the gathering, Sharma claimed his government is committed to providing drinking and irrigation water to every household and farmer.

"Every farm is set to get water for irrigation and every household for drinking water in the state", Sharma said.

"We have produced 8,261 MW of electricity in two years and supplied electricity to 22 districts of the state during daytime, and in the time to come, our government will provide a round-the-clock supply," Sharma added.

The chief minister said the Congress government was known for cases of paper leaks and scams, while there has been no such case in his government for over two years.

With the appointment letter to over 21,800 youngsters by the prime minister in Ajmer on February 28, the state government has given jobs to 1.25 lakh people so far in two years, while the process for 1.35 lakh jobs is underway, he claimed.

Around 400 people in cases of paper leak and scam have been sent to jail, and several "crocodiles" are set to be nabbed as nobody will be spared, he said.

"We have fulfilled 73 per cent of our promises in two and a quarter years of government and three years remaining", he said.

"Kota is set to be an industry hub besides being an education hub," he said.

Sharma said the government has added Rs 3,000 to Kisan Nidhi, bringing the total to Rs 9,000 and distributed loans of Rs 50,000 crore to farmers without interest. PTI COR APL APL