Bhubaneswar: Odisha will get projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore in the next 5 years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw assured while addressing a special ceremony organised to felicitate newly-elected BJP MPs and MLAs in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
“While the amount was a meagre Rs 800 crore some 10 years back, the state is getting over Rs 10,000 crore every year for the last 3 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi initially doubled the funding and then increase it by 3 and 4 times. The state was allocated a record Rs 10,536 crore for railway infrastructure development for the 2024-25 fiscal and accordingly work is being taken up. In the last 10 years, a record 1,826-km railway lines have been laid in Odisha,” he said.
Vaishnaw also spoke about how it was difficult to get land for sanctioned projects during the previous BJD regime. “Since the BJP in power in the state, the sector will no longer remain neglected and we will be able to speed up the work now with out double-engine government. I also want to give an assurance to get new projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore for Odisha in the next 5 years,” he said.
He further said that a electronics manufacturing cluster will be set up in Odisha. “Semi-conductor training will also be conducted for the youths of the state,” he said.
The Railway Minister also spoke about 135 special trains to be run to Puri from 25 districts in the state for Rath Yatra.
On Saturday evening, Vaishnaw accompanied by Puri MP Sambit Patra and senior officials of East Coast Railway reviewed arrangements for the convenience and benefit of pilgrims and devotees at Puri railway station.