New Delhi
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary, while announcing the filling or elimination of all 13 thousand black spots identified on the country’s highways by the year 2029, said that in the last 10 years, the Central Government has expanded the transport network from road to air on a large scale. , Due to which people’s travel has become easy and convenient.
Chaudhary said in a press conference here that the strengthening of road, rail and air networks has not only accelerated the pace of economic development in the country, but the basic facilities have also improved at the local level and the common people are directly benefiting from it. .
He said that arrangements have been made to fill or eliminate all the black spots identified on the national highways, so that these highways can be made accident free. The probability of an accident occurring at a black spot is very high.
Highlighting the revolutionary changes that have taken place in road, rail and air connectivity under the Modi government, Chaudhary said that there has been unprecedented growth in transport infrastructure in 10 years. This has opened the doors to economic progress. He informed that the national highway network has increased by 1.6 times. There were 91,287 kilometers of national highways in the year 2014, which has increased to 1,46,195 kilometers by November 2024. Under the Bharatmala project, 34,800 km of national highways are to be constructed in the first phase. Out of this, work of 26,425 kilometers has been seen, while work of 18,714 kilometers has been completed.
Along with this, the length of the National High-Speed Corridor (HSC) was 93 kilometers in 2014, which has increased to 2,474 kilometers in 2024. In the year 2014, the number of national highways with four or more lanes was 18,300 kilometers, which has now increased to about 45,900 kilometers. There has been a significant increase of two and a half times in the National Democratic Alliance government. To promote seamless freight and affordable transportation, 35 locations have been identified, in which six Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) projects have been sanctioned. Tender process is going on for three others.
Chaudhary said that the Civil Aviation Ministry has encouraged India to emerge as a global power in the aviation sector, connecting the common people and promoting development. The number of operational airports in the country has more than doubled. In 2014, flights were operating from 74 airports whereas in 2024, air services will be operating from 158 airports in the country. Under the UDAN scheme, air services have been successfully started on 613 routes. 87 airports have been connected and regional connectivity has been boosted. Under the DigiYatra initiative, contactless and seamless travel has become a reality, with facial recognition technology (FRT) implemented at 24 airports. India has emerged as the third largest domestic aviation market globally.
Highlighting the achievements of Railways, the Minister of State for Finance said that the Ministry of Railways has undertaken a massive transformation focusing on electrification, modern infrastructure and better passenger amenities. He said that 97 percent of railway routes have been electrified, which has boosted stability and efficiency.
Under the Amrit Bharat Scheme, 1,337 stations across the country are being redeveloped as per world-class standards. This is a unique railway station redevelopment program in the entire world. The introduction of 68 Vande Bharat Express trains, two Amrit Bharat trains and one NaMo Bharat Rapid Rail has revolutionized rail transport, increasing speed as well as passenger convenience. More than 96 percent work of the Dedicated Freight Corridor project has been completed. The work on Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) has been completed while the work on Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) is in the final stages.
Chaudhary said that the achievements of the last ten years in terms of transport network underline the serious efforts of the Modi government to make India a hub of connectivity, efficiency and progress. The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leaving no stone unturned in strengthening the infrastructure.
