'Kushinagar International Airport in UP will improve tourism & connectivity': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed delight over the Union Cabinet's decision to turn Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar Airport to an international one. Lauding the move, Prime Minister stated that it will improve connectivity 'significantly' and also increase tourism opportunities. He added that it will also bring better opportunities for the local population as well. 

Announcing the decision on Wednesday, the Union Cabinet stated that the Buddhist Circuit is a key pilgrimage destination for 530 million practising Buddhists across the globe and the declaration of Kushinagar Airport as an 'International Airport' will offer improved connectivity, a wider choice of services at competitive costs to the air-travellers resulting in boosting of domestic/international tourism and economic development of the region.

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"Direct international connectivity to Kushinagar would substantially increase the number of foreigners and domestic tourists visiting  Kushinagar, which will also provide impetus to the economic development of the region. The international airport is expected to boost the already growing tourism and hospitality ecosystem in the country," a press release by the Union Government read. 

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Kushinagar is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Gautama Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. It is regarded as a very sacred Buddhist pilgrimage centre where Buddhists pilgrims from all over the world come for a pilgrimage. Kushinagar is dotted with several other Buddhist sites in the nearby surroundings like Sravasti (238 km), Kapilvastu (190 km) and Lumbini (195 km) that makes it an attraction for both followers and visitors alike. Kushinagar already serves as the presenting site for Buddhist circuit pilgrimage spanning across India and Nepal. 

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1,540 Co-operative Banks Under RBI Supervision

In a major decision on Wednesday, the Union Cabinet also decided to bring Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) and Multi-State Co-operative Banks under the governance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday announced that over 1,500 UCBs and multi-state co-operative banks will be brought under the supervisory power of the central bank.

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"Government banks, including 1,482 urban cooperative banks and 58 multi-state cooperative banks, are now being brought under supervisory powers of Reserve Bank of India; RBI's powers as they apply to scheduled banks will apply for cooperative banks as well," Javadekar told reporters through video conferencing.