The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh approved Rs 640 crore for an airport in Ayodhya, where the party has promised to build a “grand” statute of Lord Ram. The project aims to develop an airstrip and put Ayodhya on the international tourism map, boosting the temple town’s economy and generating employment. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet also allowed Ayodhya’s district magistrate to release Rs 200 crore towards land acquisition on a mutual agreement basis. The state government will acquire nearly 280 acres near the airstrip, which is 1.5 km long and 30 metres wide and caters to small chartered aircraft. It needs to be widened to at least 45 metres with a runway of 2.5 km for bigger scheduled flights.