The central government has presented the interim budget for the financial year 2024-25. The full budget will be presented after the Lok Sabha elections. NDTV had a special conversation with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav regarding the interim budget.
The Railway Minister said that India had laid 5,200 kilometers of railway tracks last year and is on the way to add 5,500 kilometers more this year. He also said that unlike previous governments, his government's priority has been on security.
On the question regarding government's investment in Railways, Ashwini Vaishnav said that earlier, where support of Rs 15-15 thousand was available in the budget, Modi ji has increased it to Rs 2 lakh 52 thousand crore. Railway budget was neglected during the time of UPA and Congress governments. At that time Railway was considered only like a cow to be milked. Modi ji has added 26 thousand kilometers of new railway tracks in the last 10 years. Last year, 5200 kilometers of new tracks were added, that is, tracks equal to the total network of Switzerland were added in a year.
40 thousand kilometers of new tracks will be connected through three corridors
He said that in the three corridors approved in the budget today, 40 thousand kilometers of new tracks will be added. This means that the network of Germany and Switzerland combined will be added in the country in six to eight years. Understand its importance, the train will have more tracks, only then you can run more vehicles. Today about 700 crore people travel by railways in a year. The demand is even higher than this. So how to reach zero waiting list, for that it is necessary that more and more new tracks are built, more and more new trains are built, good technology is introduced, new safety systems are introduced.
Ashwini Vaishnav said that if we travel by railway or carry goods, then 90 percent pollution is saved and the cost is reduced. Modi ji has laid a lot of emphasis on railways for non-polluted growth for sustainable growth. This is a ride for the poor, they can travel a thousand kilometers for Rs 500. Therefore the entire focus is on Railways.
PM Modi gave inclusive growth to the country's economy
Ashwini Vaishnav said that, in the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given inclusive growth to the country's economy, has managed the economy with the philosophy of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. Preference was given to those classes which were deprived for years. Look at the housing scheme, whether we talk about Jan Dhan account.. how Ujjwala was achieved, every house is getting tap water.. in a way, a new direction of development has been found in the poor, tribal and deprived areas. At the same time, focusing on the productivity of the economy, how to improve transportation, how to improve the supply of electricity, how to load-unload goods in the port in less time, all these things can be improved in a balanced manner in the lives of poor and deprived families. A big change has come. The middle class has got better opportunities. This is clearly visible in today's budget.
He said that the Prime Minister said that there are four big pillars of the society – mothers, sisters, farmers, youth and the poor. The country can move forward only by taking these four pillars together and their growth. Considering all this, it is a very inclusive budget, a budget of inclusive growth.
The Railway Minister said, “Today India is growing at a good pace of 7 to 8 percent and almost all the economists of the world agree that India will continue to grow at 7 to 8 percent in the next few years. All this is being said by the Prime Minister. This is possible because of the clearly thought-out policy framework prepared for the country by Narendra Modi ji. Today's Budget is going to re-emphasise both the points – inclusive growth as well as sustained economic growth, so that the country can achieve its goals by 2047. We can move on the path of becoming a developed nation.”
golden quadrilateral
Ashwini Vaishnav compared the three new corridors announced in the budget with the steps taken for highway development during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister.
He said, “Vajpayee ji started the Golden Quadrilateral project. Similarly, PM Modi has started the corridor project, which is Amrit Quadrilateral. If you look at the railway network, it is in the shape of a diamond. Certainly “North-East… There will be many places where there will be railway flyovers. In a way, the entire network will be a completely transformed network.”
