Land given for international airport near Agra: Akhilesh Yadav

 Agra: The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said that land has been given for an international airport near Agra.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said the land has been given 16 kms from the city near Etmadpur town.

"Land for an international airport near Agra has been given 16 kms from the city, near Etmadpur town," Yadav said while addressing a press conference.

Akhilesh said the government is cooperating with the Centre in the implementation of all development projects initiated by the Centre.

He said his govt had on its own initiated work on the Lucknow-Agra expressway, which would be a six-lane road and the biggest road project in the country and a grain market and dairy projects would be set up on the expressway for farmers whose land would be taken for the project.

He said the govt has provided land for the opening of an AIIMS unit in the state as well as a 'Sainik school'.

Projects like lions safari, theme park, elephants reserve park and Bateshwar Ghat in the city here would encourage tourists and would bring in more foreign exchange, Akhilesh said.

Earlier, Akhilesh had inaugurated a trauma centre at SN Medical College and he later inaugurated the eighth 'Leather Goods and Components Fair'.

Leather goods specially tools provide employment to lakhs of people in the city, he said, adding, there is a need for the use of modern technology and upgradation of quality for competition with foreign brands.

He said during the past two-and-a-half years many steps have been taken by the SP government for the benefit of poor people and employment generating projects have been taken up. Under the Samajwadi pension scheme accounts for the poor are being opened in the name of the woman head of the family.