Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has called the inauguration of the Rewa airport’s terminal building a Diwali gift by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said it would boost the development of the Vindhya region.

At a function in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects costing more than Rs 6,000 crore.

During the event, he virtually inaugurated the terminal buildings in MP’s Rewa and those at Maa Mahamaya airport in Darima in Chhattisgarh and Sarsawa in UP, cumulatively worth over Rs 220 crore.

Addressing a function in Rewa, CM Yadav said PM Modi has given a very big Diwali gift to the people of Vindhya region even before the festival.

Yadav said the state government will facilitate the residents of Vindhya to travel by air for Rs 999 from this airport (to Bhopal) for a month. He also flagged off the Rewa-Bhopal flight.

The inauguration of the airport will open the doors of development of the Vindhya region, comprising seven districts including Rewa, and transform it, he said.

The region has natural wealth and every resource needed for its development, he said.

With the efforts of PM Modi and the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik) scheme, even the poor have access to air travel, he said.

Rewa’s development lagged due to the lack of attention by the previous governments. There was no railway facility in Rewa in 1993 and now, it has an airport, he said. An expressway will also be constructed from Rewa to Bhopal, Yadav said.

Continuous efforts are now being made for the development of Vindhya, the CM said.

Yadav said 25 airstrips have been developed along with 6 airports in the state.

Airstrips will be built in every district of MP. Airstrips of Ujjain, Shivpuri and Datia will be developed and converted into airports, he added.