PM Modi warns against 'revari' culture; inaugurates Bundelkhand Expressway

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bundelkhand Expressway in Kanpur on Saturday, during his one-day visit to Uttar Pradesh.
The 296-km-long expressway extends from NH-35 at Gonda village near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district, where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. The four-lane expressway passes through seven districts: Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.
In his inauguration address, PM Modi said that the BJP government does not restrict development only to cities and slammed the 'revari' culture of seeking votes by promising freebies.
Our development not restricted to cities, says Modi
Speaking on UP's development, PM Modi said, "If two things - law and order situation and connectivity - were to be corrected, I knew this would become a state that can fight against all odds. We improved both. Law and order situation is improving, so is connectivity."

Hailing the work being done by the 'double engine' government, PM Modi said, "The expressway will ensure seamless connectivity and further economic progress in region. With this expressway, there will be an industrial boom in the region. It is the Modi and Yogi government, we will take development not just to cities but to villages," he said.
He said the distance from Chitrakoot to Delhi by the Bundelkhand expressway has been reduced by three-four hours, but its benefit is much more than that.
PM Modi cautions people against 'revari' culture
The PM also cautioned people against what he called a "revari (sweet) culture", under which votes are sought by promising freebies, and said this could be "very dangerous" for the development of the country.
"Those with revari culture will never build new expressways, new airports or defense corridors for you. People of this culture feel that the public will buy them by distributing free revari to Janardan. Together we have to defeat this thinking."
Modi added that the development in the country now has two aspects at its core - iraada aur maryada (intent and honour). "We are not only creating new facilities for the present but are also building the future of the country," he said.
PM Modi receives local 'bundeli' stole
The Prime Minister was received by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries at the airport. Adityanath welcomed PM Modi by offering him a local 'Bundeli' stole at the inauguration ceremony at Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district.
Bundelkhand Expressway
The foundation stone for the construction of Bundelkhand Expressway was laid by the Prime Minister on February 29, 2020. The work on the expressway has been completed within 28 months.
The 296-km expressway has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crore, under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA)
The budgetary allocation of Rs 1.99 lakh crore for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in Budget 2022-23 is the highest ever. This is a jump of over 550 per cent when compared to the allocation of about Rs. 30,300 crore in 2013-14.
In the last seven years, the length of National Highways in the country has gone up by more than 50 per cent from 91,287 km (as on April 2014) to around 1,41,000 km (as on December 31, 2021).
Other corridors in pipeline
Work on the creation of industrial corridor in Banda and Jalaun districts, next to the Expressway, has already started.
"This expressway will not only give speed to the vehicles, but will also accelerate the industrial progress of the entire Bundelkhand," said PM Modi.