LUCKNOW, Aug. 31 -- Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday credited chief minister Yogi Adityanath with playing a key role in Lucknow's rapid development, saying the alignment between the Centre and Uttar Pradesh governments had accelerated the pace of growth and helped set new benchmarks in governance.

Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for 12 development projects worth around Rs.101 crore in Lucknow Cantonment, Singh said Yogi had extended "wholehearted support" to development initiatives in the city and regularly reviewed their progress.

"When the thinking of the Centre and the state government moves in the same direction, the pace of development naturally increases manifold," Singh said. He said Uttar Pradesh...