LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the setting up of a ‘Chair’ for research and other academic purposes in the name of former PM and BJP stalwart Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU).
After the PM inaugurated ‘Azadi@75 – New Urban India: Transforming Urban Landscape’ conference-cum-expo at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, a film on Vajpayee was shown, describing him as a ‘rashtranayak’ (national hero) and a “visionary leader” of modern times who represented Lucknow as an MP during his three stints as Prime Minister.
In his address, the PM said like India’s 75 years of independence, country’s foreign policy too witnessed turning points. “Atal ji gave it a new direction,” he said, stressing that his efforts to provide connectivity to the people laid the strong foundation of India. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Golden Quadrilateral – North-East, East-West and North-South-East-West Corridors – ushered in development in the country, he said.
