Record Sanction Of Rs 7,565 Crore For Rajasthan In This Year's Budget, Rail Minister Says

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said railway projects worth Rs 7,565 crore were sanctioned for Rajasthan in this year's budget, a record for the state. The total cost of projects approved for Rajasthan stands at Rs 57,000 crore, the Union Railway minister said. 

"Today, projects worth Rs 57,000 crore have been sanctioned in Rajasthan. Rajasthan has got a record sanction of Rs 7,565 crore in this year's budget. There was a time when only Rs 700 to Rs 750 crore was given to Rajasthan. The speed in work which has come is seen now," Vaishnaw said. 

Vaishnaw was in Rajasthan for the 'Rozgar Mela' event here where he handed over appointment letters to new recruits in various government departments. During the event, he urged the new recruits to work with the spirit of 'nation first' and never compromise on it. 

Rajya Sabha MPs Ghanshyam Tiwari and Kirori Lal Meena, Jaipur Urban MP Ramcharan Bohra, BJP state unit chief Satish Poonia were also present at the event.

Speaking on the development of railway infrastructure, Vaishnaw said stations were now neater compared to the past. Asking people to recall the old days, he added that earlier, people had to walk while squeezing their noses.

Vaishnaw said redevelopment work had been taken up to make 200 stations world class based on the experience from three stations in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.  He said the master plan had been prepared for 138 stations, tender done for 47 and work started on 41. 

The minister said Jaipur Junction, Gandhi Nagar, Jodhpur, Barmer, Kota  Ajmer, Bikaner, Pali, Marwar and Abu Road in Rajasthan were among the stations that would be developed in the first phase. He added that there was a time when only 4 km tracks were laid per day, but that figure had now reached 12 km a day. 

(With PTI Inputs)