Purnea (Bihar) | Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar's Purnea district next week to inaugurate an airport and launch development schemes worth around Rs 45,000 crore, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said on Wednesday.

Choudhary spoke to journalists in the north Bihar town after reviewing preparations for the PM's tour scheduled on September 15.

He said, "Modi, in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will declare the airport open for routine flights, which has been a long-standing demand of the people of the area. Purnea airport boasts of the largest runway in Bihar".

Notably, the airport will be the fourth in the state after Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga.

Private air carrier Indigo has announced that it will be running three flights a week between Purnea and Kolkata.

The deputy CM also said, "Purnea borders Nepal and is not far from Bangladesh. It can be an international airport. I had recently requested the Union Civil Aviation Minister to consider Darbhanga and Purnea for international flights".

He added, "As of now, our priority is to equip the new airports with all facilities, including night landing, so that it becomes a comfortable destination for air travellers from across the country".

The senior BJP leader said, "The PM, who has so far launched development projects worth close to Rs 1.5 lakh crore in Bihar, will also unveil projects worth Rs 45,000 crore".

"The projects include those of the railways, a power plant at Pirpainti in Bhagalpur district and the Kosi-Mechi river link. These will be a gift to the people of Bihar from the double-engine government", said the former state BJP president.