Raipur (Chhattisgarh): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday slammed the Union Government asking whether the allocated Railways funds are for its modernisation or it is an investment before selling it to private companies. “Around Rs 2,35,000 crore have been allotted to Railways. Is this for the employees or for new recruitments or is it just for the modernisation of Railways before selling it to private companies.” said Bhupesh.
The statement of the chief Minister comes just after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam allocated Rs 2.41 lakh crore for Railways in the Union Budget 2023 which was presented in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. This was the third time in a row that the government presented the budget in a paperless form.
Meanwhile, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the Union budget is a "growth engine" for the country. Addressing the media, Vaishnaw said that this budget will be like a growth engine for the country. "The FM has allocated Rs 2.41 lakh crore for Railways which will be a big change for the sector as it will fulfil the aspirations of every passenger," he said.
Highlighting the developments in the sector, the minister said that the Railway is growing every year. Under the 'Amrit Bharat Station' scheme, 1275 stations are being re-developed, whereas, the production of Vande Bharat trains will be revamped. "Before 2014 only 3 km of track were laid every day, it increased to 12 km of track every day in the current year, and the target for next year is 16 km of track every day," he added.
Speaking about expanding the facility of Vande Bharat in the country he said, "Now apart from ICF Chennai, Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured in Haryana's Sonipat and Maharashtra's Latur and it will fulfil PM Modi's dream of connecting every corner with Vande Bharat trains." He further marked that the Vande Bharat trains will also be manufactured in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareilly as the sector is doing good progress on the 'Bullet Train'.
In Maharashtra, earlier CM Uddhav Thackeray didn't give permission but now all the permissions are there and soon the development in Vande Bharat trains will start in Maharastra also, he added. Speaking over the introduction of hydrogen trains in the country, the minister said, "As the budget focuses on green growth, Railway will also contribute with the hydrogen train which will come by December 2023 and will be designed and manufactured in India. First, it will run on heritage circuits like Kalka-Shimla and later it will be expanded to other places," he marked.
Vaishnaw said that PM Modi's vision to show cultural heritage through trains would also be updated by adding new circuits like the Gurukripa circuit to the list. Speaking about the employment generations in the sector during the last 8 years, he said that new stations have been developed, toilets have been constructed, waiting areas have been revamped, new trains have been introduced including Vanade Bharat, and there are significant changes in passenger facilities.
The minister also marked the employment generation in the sector and said that 3,64,000 employments under the railway have been generated in the last 8 years. And the government is already working on 1,45,000 more employments to people of the country, he added. (With agency Inputs)
