Agra (UP), Dec 25 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday unveiled a statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and inaugurated a cultural complex centre named after the former prime minister in Bateshwar on the occasion of his 99th birth anniversary.

Adityanath visited Vajpayee's birthplace Bateshwar and paid tributes to the Bharat Ratna awardee on behalf of the people of the state, an official release said.

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Crediting Vajpayee with providing a stable government, the chief minister said unstable governments before that had a detrimental impact on the nation.

He stressed that stability serves as a crucial indicator of economic prosperity and commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for consistently supplying food grains to the people and ensuring a guarantee for the next five years.

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"The foundation that Atal ji laid for Uttar Pradesh is being carried forward by the double-engine government. Today, development is taking place in Uttar Pradesh with increased connectivity to villages. Not only are roads improving, air connectivity is also getting better," the chief minister remarked.

Adityanath launched a heliport service connecting Agra with Mathura and Vrindavan, and inaugurated a tourism and agriculture exhibition. He also announced the establishment of a potato research centre in Agra.

Upon arriving at Bateshwar, also known as Chhoti Kashi, the chief minister offered prayers at the Brahmalal temple and later inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of projects worth about Rs 148 crore.

Highlight?ing the progress made in the region, Adityanath said, "The temples along the banks of the Yamuna faced foreign attacks. The Tourism Department is making efforts to beautify these temples."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)