Lucknow, April 12 -- Defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that the city's progress depends on the development of surrounding areas. He asserted that the State Capital Region (SCR) will rapidly become a corridor of development. "Unless basic infrastructure develops there (in the surrounding areas) too, Lucknow cannot become the developed city we want," he said at the Gomti Nagar Jankalyan Mahasamiti Annual Function and inauguration of public welfare projects in the state capital. He also spoke about the proposed National Highway-927, a 111 km four-lane highway from Barabanki to Bahraich, costing nearly Rs.7,000 crore, which will cut travel time by over an hour. Commenting on development work in Lucknow, Singh said: "We have built 25 flyovers in the city." "When the Outer Ring Road connects with six-lane roads and three expressways, Lucknow will become the biggest supply center in a 405-km radius. From village to city, every essential item can reach quickly from Lucknow. Thousands of new jobs will be created for our youth," Singh said. 'Gomti Nagar railway station Asia's biggest' '"A world-class railway terminal is ready in Gomti Nagar and trains have started. For your information, this is Asia's biggest railway station, built in Gomti Nagar. I don't know about the world, but I can tell you about Asia," asserted Singh. "Across the country, air passenger numbers are growing at 13% annually. At Lucknow airport, this figure has reached 24%. To handle such a crowd, we focused on airport expansion," Singh said. The New Terminal 3 has been built at a cost of Rs 24 crore, but its capacity has increased to over 1 crore passengers, he added. "Lucknow is a Defence Node along with Agra and Kanpur. Now, BrahMos missile production has started in Lucknow. Proudly, its first batch has been handed over to our Army," said Singh. "I told CM Yogi Adityanath that we need more land around Lucknow. I am happy Yogiji immediately agreed. I want to say about the CM - whatever cooperation is needed, our CM Yogi Adityanath Ji has provided it immediately. There has not been a moment's delay," Singh said. "Ashok Leyland has started a heavy electric vehicle factory in Lucknow. It has a capacity to make 25,000 vehicles annually. Our youth will get a chance to learn new technology and get jobs with a good salary. They won't have to go to other cities for work," said Singh. He added that Lucknow's development is going on under a very well-planned scheme. "This is just the beginning. Something new is being built here every day. This is the Ganga of development." Singh pointed out that the crisis in West Asia has disrupted several sectors crucial to humanity's rapid development. He highlighted the impact on the supply chains of semiconductors and rare earth minerals, noting that any break in these chains affects the progress of the entire world. "Our government had decided during the Corona disaster itself that India will become the new global hub of the semiconductor sector and India will become self-reliant in this sector," he added. Next week, Parliament will convene from April 16 to 18, where a bill aimed at increasing women's representation in legislatures will be introduced, he said. Singh noted that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was already passed in 2023. Those present on the occasion included deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Seth, district president of the BJP Anand Dwivedi, mayor Sushma Kharkwal, MLAs O.P. Srivastava, Neeraj Bora, Yogesh Shukla, MLCs Ramchandra Pradhan, Avinashi Kumar Singh, Mukesh Sharma, and Pawan Singh Chauhan. Singh was informed that the Lucknow -Kanpur Expressway will become operational in the next few days. He added that this project will not only help Lucknow but its adjoining regions too....