Azamgarh (UP), March 10 : Azamgarh will now be known as 'Ajanmagarh', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday while announcing several developmental projects valued at more than Rs 3,700 crore.

The Prime Minister said: "You can see that in the past few days, I am inaugurating several projects across the country. When people hear about several airports, railway stations, IIMs and AIIMS they get surprised. And many think that this is because of election season. People in previous governments used to make announcements to deceive people. Announcements were made 30-35 years ago. They used to put up a plaque before elections and disappear after that. The leaders also used to disappear."

He said that now the country can see that "Modi doosri mitti ka insaan hai."

'The foundation stones we laid in 2019 were not for elections and have inaugurated all those projects. Even now, no one should see it as an election stunt. This is the campaign of my journey for development. I am running the country with full-speed to fulfil the dream of making India 'Viksit' by 2047."

He said that today he has given another guarantee to the people of Azamgarh. 'Azamgarh will be the bastion of development for eternity,' PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister lauded the change of law-and-order in the town, saying that the region is witnessing a rapid development.

"Azamgarh was known for mafias. But after our government took over, the region is witnessing law and order along with rapid development. The poison of appeasement is weakening in Uttar Pradesh. The dynasts are abusing Modi daily. They are saying that Modi does not have a family. But they forget that the entire country is Modi's family," PM Modi said.

He said that his government was strengthening the tier 2 and 3 cities to boost urbanisation and smaller towns and rural areas are also witnessing fast urbanisation.

PM Modi said that the Purvanchal region had suffered backwardness for long but now the region has its airports. 'Its youth have new opportunities and careers before them,' PM Modi said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Azamgarh was earlier a bastion of mafia activities during the previous governments but today the town has been given modern infrastructure.

"What was the identity of Azamgarh 10 years back? It was a bastion of criminals and mafia activities. However, today PM Modi has come and showered us with various developmental projects. We are thankful to PM Modi for this," the Chief Minister said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated numerous development initiatives and in a significant boost to the civil aviation sector, the Prime Minister also initiated the groundwork for multiple airport projects nationwide.

Additionally, he unveiled 12 new Terminal Buildings at airports including Pune, Kolhapur, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Delhi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad, Shravasti, and Adampur.

He also laid the foundation stones for three new Terminal Buildings at Kadapa, Hubballi, and Belagavi Airports.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Light House Project (LHP), which has facilitated the construction of over 2000 affordable flats with modern amenities.

The Prime Minister dedicated 744 rural road projects valued at more than Rs 3,700 crore, constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to the nation. These projects encompass a cumulative length of over 5,400 kilometres of rural roads in Uttar Pradesh, benefiting approximately 59 districts in the state.

/IANS