Varanasi (UP), Apr 11 (PTI) Devotees from all over the country are flocking to see the new Kashi which has developed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 11 years, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday.

His remarks came after the prime minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 44 projects worth Rs 3,880 crore in his parliamentary constituency.

“Everyone has seen Kashi changing in the last 11 years. This is the same Kashi, which was known for its narrow streets and traffic jams. Kashi has been an ancient centre of education, but along with the centres of education lying in disarray, projects worth more than Rs 50,000 crore have come here in the last 11 years for health, tourism, connectivity,” he said.

Adityanath noted that this was the first visit of the prime minister to Varanasi after the historic victory of the BJP in the Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi assembly elections as well as the organisation of the Maha Kumbh.

Kashi also became a witness to this divine and grand Maha Kumbh, he said.

“Every devotee coming from the country and the world was eager to see this new Kashi and the holy land of Baba Vishwanath in a new form under the leadership and guidance of the prime minister in the last 11 years. On the occasion of this 45-day event, a grand gathering was also seen in Kashi and during this time more than 3 crore devotees came here and became a part of the virtue by visiting the holy abode of Baba Vishwanath,” Adityanath said.

He also said that after the Namami Gange project, every devotee who took a dip in the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati felt overwhelmed.

“Due to the success of the Namami Gange project, the Maha Kumbh has also been successful,” Adityanath said.

The UP chief minister also said that efforts of the prime minister to provide national and international recognition to the products of Kashi and Uttar Pradesh have proved fruitful.

“Kashi and its neighbouring districts have received the maximum number of GI tags so far and Uttar Pradesh is achieving the number one position in GI tags in the country. Certificates for 21 new GI tags are also being provided today by the prime minister. These efforts have been made to give a new identity to the products of local handicraftsmen and artisans at the national and international level,” he said.

The Ayushman Bharat scheme has also proved to be a milestone in providing health facilities to the poor, he said.

More than 50 crore people in the country and more than 10 crore people in Uttar Pradesh have directly benefited from this scheme.

Not only in Uttar Pradesh but across the country, now every senior citizen above the age of 70 years is being provided health facilities worth Rs 5 lakh through the Vaya Vandana Yojana card and till now more than 50,000 senior citizens in Kashi have got their cards made, he said.

Adityanath also said that innovative work has been done to connect the farmers and cattle rearers here through Banas Dairy, an important project related to the development of Kashi.

Under that programme, bonus is also being provided to those cattle rearers who have earned dividends through value addition by joining this unit of Banas Dairy in Kashi. PTI NAV DV DV