Ayodhya, Dec 30: Taking time out from his hectic engagements and scheduled events on a day-long visit to Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dropped in at the residence of a woman, who is the tenth-crore beneficiary of the Centre's flagship Ujjwala Yojana.

PM Modi was pictured exchanging pleasantries with the beneficiaries and enquiring about her well-being over tea.

A large crowd gathered and greeted PM Modi as he walked the narrow streets of the temple town.

He also met two children in Ayodhya and took selfies with them while also obliging their requests for autographs.

The Prime Minister also signed a painting that a boy showed him.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was started in May 2016 to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households across the country. Under PMUY, a deposit-free LPG connection is provided to adult women from poor households.

Ahead of the Ram Mandir's grand opening on January 22, PM Modi inaugurated several projects at Ayodhya as part of a conscious bid to bring about a transformation and a public infrastructure overhaul in the ancient city, which is believed to be the birthplace of Ram Lalla.

He also visited the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk in Ayodhya.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Ayodhya Dham Railway Station and flagged off new Amrit Bharat trains and Vande Bharat trains.

The six Vande Bharat trains were inaugurated virtually by PM Modi from Ayodhya Dham Railway Station.

He then proceeded to inaugurate the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport at Ayodhya Dham.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, MoS Civil Aviation General VK Singh (Retd) were present at the inauguration event at the Ayodhya airport.

peaking on his visit to the temple town, BJP MP Lallu Singh said earlier in the day that the people of Ayodhya were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the most popular world leader.

"The entire Ayodhya has been decorated to welcome PM Modi. The people here are waiting eagerly for the most popular world leader to arrive. Devotees of Lord Ram in Ayodhya will give a rousing welcome to PM Modi," he added.

Earlier, on Saturday, National Award-winning artists from Goddess Sita's village, Mithila, arrived with paintings of the Ram Temple and Ram Vivah to welcome Prime Minister Modi. On reaching Ayodhya, they said they considered themselves to be blessed to be in the ancient city on a historic day.

"The team from Janakpur is here. These are the people who will travel on the Amrit Bharat train inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are delighted and happy. With this train, they (Centre) have connected Mithala to Awadh," Pradyuman Singh said.

"I have been making paintings of Ram Lalla for the past 48 years. My paintings were showcased abroad but today marks a golden opportunity for us to come here and present these paintings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is like my dream coming true," Vinita Jha, the National Award winner, told ANI on Saturday.

However, another National Award winner, Urmila Devi, said they were called to meet PM Modi here.

"I have brought a gift for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a painting I made for him. I have come from Madhubani. The painting I will gift PM is of Ram-Sita. We were asked to come here to meet PM Modi. We've been making such paintings for the last 60 years," Urmila Devi said.

Phase 1 of the state-of-the-art airport has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 1450 crore.

The airport's terminal building will have an area of 6500 sqm, equipped to serve about 10 lakh passengers annually.

The facade of the terminal building depicts the temple architecture of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir of Ayodhya. The interiors of the terminal building are decorated with local art, paintings and murals depicting the life of Bhagwan Shri Ram.

The terminal building of Ayodhya Airport is also equipped with various sustainability features, like an insulated roofing system, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting, landscaping with fountains, a water treatment plant, a sewage treatment plant, a solar power plant and many other such features have been provided to meet GRIHA - 5-star ratings.

The airport will improve connectivity in the region, leading to a boost in tourism and business activities while generating new employment opportunities.

Prime Minister Modi has broadly outlined his vision to develop modern, world-class infrastructure in Ayodhya, improve connectivity and revamp its civic facilities while also conforming to the rich history and heritage of the city. In realisation of this vision, a new airport, a new redeveloped railway station, newly redeveloped, widened and beautified roads, and other civic infrastructure are being inaugurated in the city.

The foundation stones for a number of other new projects will be laid, contributing to the beautification and revamp of civic facilities in and around the temple town.

(ANI)

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