New India on the move
One of the largest and busiest networks in the world, the Indian Railways spans 68,442 km and runs 12,617 trains on a daily basis. The overall capital expenditure for railways stands at $22.7 Bn along with $9.23 Bn capital support from the budget.
Elimination of unmanned level crossings on broad-gauge network lead to the safest year in Indian Railways’ history. Indigenously developed semi high-speed train, Vande Bharat, provided Indian passengers world-class experience with speed, service and safety. In a landmark achievement, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram came on India’s rail map for the first time.
India became the fastest highway developer in the world with 27 km of roads being constructed every day. Incomplete projects like Eastern Peripheral Highway around Delhi and Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge connecting Assam with Arunachal Pradesh were completed. Construction of rural roads tripled. Total budget estimates for the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways stands at $11.87 Bn in 2019-20. Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, $2.72 Bn has also been allocated for the development of roads in rural and backward areas.
Under the flagship Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Scheme, the total number of operational airports in India crossed the 100 mark. Pakyong airport in Sikkim is the latest airport to have been operationalized. Arunachal Pradesh came on the air map in 2018-19. Both government initiatives and $519 Mn1 FDI in aviation, during 2014-17, led domestic passenger traffic to double in 5 years.2
Tapping into the potential of ports and inland waterways, the total budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Shipping stands at $272 Mn. Container cargo movement in Brahmputra river will be possible due to improved navigation capacity. Scaling-up the Sagarmala Programme along coastal areas will develop ports for faster handling of import and export cargo.
Source: 1
With an allocation of $3.9 Bn for the Department of Telecommunications, New India is primed for more upgrades. More than three lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) exist to deliver e-services to the citizens, especially in rural and remote locations.
India leads the world in the consumption of mobile data. The monthly consumption of mobile data has increased over 50 times in the last five years. The government aims to make 100,000 villages into Digital Villages by 2024-25.
Sources: 1
