Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the 594-km Ganga Expressway connecting 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh, calling the project the state’s “new lifeline” and a “vardaan” (blessing) from the sacred river of Hinduism. Addressing a programme in Hardoi district, the PM said the corridor would transform connectivity in western, central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and open new economic opportunities. The project, he said, reflected both “vikas ka vision” and “virasat” (development vision and heritage). “Jaise Maa Ganga hazaaron varshon se desh ki jeevan rekha rahi hai, waise hi yeh expressway UP ke vikas ki nayi lifeline banega (this expressway is set to be the new lifeline of UP the way the river has been the lifeline of this nation for thousands of years),” he said. The travel time between the key regions of the state would come down significantly, allowing people to reach places like Prayagraj and Varanasi within hours, he said.…