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DIMAPUR — A capital outlay of more than INR 2.5 lakh crore has been allocated for the Indian Railways in the interim Budget 2024-25 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Thursday.
Informing this during an interaction with media persons of Northeast on the same day, Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the gross budget allocation for railway infrastructure projects in the Northeast for the FY 2024-25 is INR 10,369 crore, which is 388% higher compared to average budget allocation of INR 2,122 crore during 2009-14.
“This year budget allocation shows unprecedented growth in several segments like new line and doubling projects, track renewal works, traffic facilities, road safety works, bridge works, signalling, workshop modernisation and customer amenities etc.,” read an update from the NF Railway.
The Railways minister, who was accompanied by General Manager of N. F. Railway Chetan Kumar Shrivastava and senior railway officials from the Headquarters, also informed that an investment of INR 81,941 crore is being done in the entire north-eastern region for development of Railway infrastructure.
He went on to mention that three major railway corridor programmes -- energy, mineral and cement; port-connectivity; and high-traffic density – would be implemented as announced in the budget speech, which will improve logistics efficiency and reduce transportation cost, improve safety for passenger trains and convert 40,000 normal railway coaches to Vande Bharat standards.
Updating that 60 stations in Northeast are being redeveloped with world class amenities, the minister said that “the One Station One Product stall operational all over NFR are providing a direct selling market to locally produced items which are getting a good response from passengers with a profitable growth”.
He added that physical progress of all the ongoing projects in the north-eastern region are advancing at a good pace despite the difficult terrains.