NEW DELHI, Dec 4: The Railway Ministry’s focus is on improving passenger experience through world-class railway stations, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday.
Speaking at an event of the Confederation of Indian Industries, he maintained that spending on new railway lines, doubling of tracks and electrification among others is on track.
With the stations at Bhopal and Gandhinagar now with world-class features in terms of city integration and passenger flow, 40 more stations will be tendered shortly, he said.
The Minister also said that tourism is being created as a new growth segment for the railways and invited the industry to participate in this objective. Modern train sets with air cushions are being designed and will be rolled out at the end of the next year, he said.
For reducing cargo costs, Vaishnaw noted that it is important to raise the share of freight carried by the railways. For this, the Ministry is working on stepping up investment in new tracks, capacity and other infrastructure, he said.
“The customer interface must be made simple with not more than three months for clearances on cargo terminals and other facilities. Wagon designs are being changed to cater to different commodities and products. The railways is working on a hybrid BOT model for greater private participation,” he added.
In telecom, the Railway Minister said India is developing its own 5G system. The Postal Life Insurance (PLI) scheme for telecom manufacturing has been very encouraging with 35 applications.
In the electronics and information technology sector, Vaishnaw said electronics manufacturing is likely to exceed the expectation of USD 250 billion of production by FY-26. Similarly, Startup India had targeted 100 unicorns by 2025, but more than 70 are already in place, he noted, adding that a user-centric and trust-based regime is being developed.
He also said that the bulk of Government’s revenues is going on capital investment in areas such as healthcare infrastructure.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for changing the Government’s operating systems under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package. Capacity utilisation is now rising as a result of this strategy. If the capital investment by the Government rises, private investment will also pick up,” Vaishnaw added. (PTI)
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