• Source:JND
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Infrastructural development has been an area where the Modi-led government has fervidly worked in the last 10 years. Now, when the interim budget is going to be presented on February 1, this sector is expected to get a major boost.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last year claimed the BJP government had spent over Rs 98 lakh crore on infrastructural development since 2014. She cited an RBI report to substantiate her claim.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while attending the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, highlighted his vision for infrastructural growth in the country. He

Say the government was mulling significant investments.

Roads:

As per a report in Money Control, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sought Rs 3.25 lakh crore for the financial year 2024-25. It is 25 per cent higher than the previous allocation. The demand clearly indicates the ministry does not want to rely on borrowings for its road projects.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Nitin Gadkari said budgetary allocation of the road ministry has increased from about Rs 31,130 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2,70,435 crore in 2023-24. He said the National Highway network in the country reached 1,46,145 km from 91,287 km in the last 10 years. A plethora of road projects are in the pipeline and the sector is expecting a whopping budget to push them through.

Major road projects in the pipeline:

-Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

-Delhi-Dehradun Expressway

-Ganga Expressway

-Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway

-Raipur–Visakhapatnam Expressway

Railways:

Developing the infrastructure of Indian Railways has been on priority in this dispensation. Modi government, in an unprecedented move, amalgamated the railway budget with the Union budget. A top railway official, quoted by the Mint, said the Indian Railways will invest at least Rs 7 trillion over the next decade to lay a record 50,000 kilometres (km) of new train tracks to modernise its network and boost train speeds.

With an initiative to modernise the railways' infra, the government rolled out semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains across key routes in the country. As of January 2024, 41 such trains are operating across the country.

The official said the Railways will ensure that all new lines meet the requirements of high-speed and semi-high-speed trains such as Vande Bharat that can touch 180 kmph.

Besides, the government is planning freight corridors to facilitate the seamless transportation of goods. The Ministry of Railways has reported significant advancements in the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC & WDFC) projects.

The total length of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors is an extensive 2,843 kilometres, excluding the Sonnagar-Dankuni section. The Eastern Corridor spans 1,337 kilometres, while the Western Corridor covers 1,506 kilometres.  

Airways:

The government said only 74 airports were operational in the country till 2014 and by March 2023, the Government operationalised another 74 airports. The Government said they aim to take the total to 220. They claimed the number of passengers also doubled from 60 million in 2014.

A significant investment is expected by the sector as PM Modi promised to see people with slippers availing of air services. It could only be done if the rates could be brought down. Civil Aviation Minister said UP will get nine new airports in the next two years.  

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Waterways:

The government is also planning to utilise the water bodies as a mode of transportation. Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said they were planning to develop 23 river systems for cargo and passenger vessel movement, aiming for greater use of inland waterways as a cheaper mode of transport. A major investment could be made in this area as well.