Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Odisha government no longer needs to seek funds from the Centre for railway development as the highest-ever allocation has already been provided this year. Previously, the Odisha government had to visit New Delhi to ask for funds for railway projects, receiving an average of Rs 800 crore per year. However, the Narendra Modi government has allocated Rs 10,000 crore to the state for the railway sector in the latest budget.
Vaishnaw also mentioned that the pace of railway work in Odisha has increased significantly. While only 50 km of new railway lines were being constructed before, it has now been enhanced to 450 km last year. The minister set a target to lay 500 km of railway line in the current financial year.
Regarding the new Khurda-Bolangir railway line, Vaishnaw stated that work from Khurda to Daspalla and from Bolangir to Sonepur has been completed. The remaining portion of the project is progressing rapidly. Vaishnaw made these statements during an event held in Bhubaneswar for the launch of the PM Vishwakarma Yojana.
