Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 594 km access-controlled greenfield Ganga Expressway at Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and characterised the region as a pilgrimage area blessed by the river's spiritual and nurturing grace. He linked the new highway to faster travel to sacred destinations and presented the expressway as a new lifeline for the state's development. He placed the project within a broader push for modern infrastructure and described emerging expressways as lifelines shaping a developing India. The government noted the expressway is the country's longest green corridor and reported its completion in less than five years, underlining an accelerated pace of construction. Officials explained that the route spans western Uttar Pradesh's commercial centres, traverses central agricultural districts and reaches eastern cultural sites, directly affecting millions (mn) of citizens across 12 districts. They emphasised that improved logistics and connectivity will ease market access for farmers, bolster incomes and facilitate the growth of manufacturing clusters for pharmaceuticals, textiles, handlooms, leather goods and handicrafts, supporting small industries and MSMEs under schemes such as Mudra Yojana and One District One Product. The Prime Minister framed the expressway as part of a strategy to transform Uttar Pradesh into a manufacturing hub and to harness the demographic dividend, noting the state is contributing to India's position as the second-largest mobile manufacturer. He highlighted advances in semiconductor capacity following a Noida groundbreaking, the presence of a defence corridor with major manufacturers and the expansion of the airport network to 21 operational airports including five international facilities near the corridor. He expressed confidence that the expressway will open new industrial and employment opportunities and that the people of Uttar Pradesh will convert those opportunities into tangible prosperity.