PM Modi raised Bihar's railway budget by 9 times to ₹10,000 cr: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Monday that the rail budget for Bihar has been increased nine times since 2014 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking the total allocation to Rs 10,000 crore.

Speaking during his visit to Patna, the Union Minister said, "Since 2014, PM Narendra Modi has increased Bihar's railway budget by 9 times and taken it to Rs 10000 crores."

He shared multiple infrastructure and service developments aimed at enhancing connectivity across the state and linking it to key regions nationwide.

He stated that the 111 km Araria-Ghagaria railway line had been completed, significantly improving local connectivity. Additionally, the doubling of the Samastipur-Darbhanga line has made good progress, helping to reduce travel time and increase rail capacity.

In a major announcement for long-distance travellers, the minister said, "A decision has been taken to operate Amrit Bharat Express between Patna and Delhi every day."

He also declared that a weekly Amrit Bharat Express train will soon begin service between Darbhanga and Lucknow.

Meanwhile, to enhance southbound connectivity, Vaishnaw announced a new train, saying, "A train connecting Seemanchal to Erode in Tamil Nadu will soon be made operational."

Vaishnaw noted that Bihar is among the top states with the highest number of Vande Bharat trains, underlining the government's focus on modernising rail travel in the region.

Apart from railway projects, the minister also highlighted developments in the technology sector, especially in the state capital. He said, "Software Technology Park of India (STPI) is an outstanding facility that has been built in India to bring in industry to Patna."

Furthermore, he also conducted a window-trailing inspection of the Digha Bridge Halt-Karpuri Gram rail section. During the visit, he encouraged the on-duty gangmen.

Earlier, Vaishnaw stated that the Union Cabinet, meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme to boost job creation, incentivise first-time employees, and strengthen social security for the country's workforce.

With an outlay of Rs. 99446 crore, the ELI Scheme will support the creation of over 3.5 crore jobs, Vaishnaw said.

Gives details on the Employment Linked Incentive Scheme approved by the Union Cabinet, the Union Minister said, "The focus of the Employment Linked Incentive Scheme will be on the manufacturing sector. It has two parts; part one is for first-timers and part two is for support to sustained employment."

Under the Scheme, while first-time employees will receive one month's wage (up to Rs 15,000), employers will be given incentives for a period of two years for generating additional employment, with extended benefits for another two years for the manufacturing sector.

The ELI Scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 as part of PM's package of five schemes to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 Crore youth with a total budget outlay of Rs 2 Lakh Crore.