Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport today, in his first public appearance in western UP since he said the three farm laws - which triggered furious protests nationwide, particularly in this part of the poll-bound state - will be scrapped. "Farmers in the region will be able to export their vegetables, fruits and produce directly to the world," the Prime Minister told a crowd of thousands from a platform surrounded, for the most part, by acres of villages, small towns and farms.