Mega projects worth ₹1,60,504 crore were approved in the last cabinet meeting of South Block. Investment in railways, national highways, metro, urban development and startup sectors will boost employment, connectivity and innovation.
Business: The last cabinet meeting held in the nearly 95-year-old historic South Block proved to be historic in many ways. In this meeting, the Central Government approved projects worth a total of ₹ 1,60,504 crore related to Railways, National Highway, Metro, Urban Development and Startup sector. For the first time since its inauguration in 1931, the government is going to shift its functioning to the new Seva Teerth complex. The meeting held before this change presented the broad outline of the country’s development.
Railway projects will provide employment
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave green signal to three major railway multitracking projects at a cost of Rs 18,509 crore. These include the third and fourth lines of Kasara-Manmad, Delhi-Ambala and Ballari-Hospet. These projects will expand the rail network by approximately 389 kilometers and generate employment of 265 lakh man-days. According to the government, this will add an additional 96 million tonnes of freight capacity annually, saving 22 crore liters of oil and reducing 111 crore kg of CO₂ emissions. These projects will provide better connectivity to about 3,902 villages and 97 lakh people.
Twin-tube tunnel will be built under Brahmaputra
A 33.7 km long greenfield corridor and 15.79 km long underwater road-cum-rail tunnel between Gohpur and Numaligarh in Assam was approved at a cost of Rs 18,662 crore. The project will strengthen the connectivity of the North-Eastern states and generate employment of approximately 80 lakh man-days.
Investments will be made on national highway upgrades and new routes in Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra. These projects will reduce travel time, provide better connectivity to industrial clusters and generate employment in lakhs of man-days. Initiatives like connectivity with Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will help in reducing logistics costs.
Rs 1 lakh crore plan for urban development
The Cabinet has approved the Urban Challenge Fund Scheme of Rs 1 lakh crore. This scheme will be applicable from 2025-26 to 2030-31. Through this, urban projects worth more than Rs 4 lakh crore are expected to get momentum. Investment in urban development will help in improving infrastructure, promoting smart city projects and creating employment opportunities.
Startup sector will get a boost
Government approves corpus of Rs 10,000 crore for Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0. Its objective is to promote deep tech, innovative manufacturing and new technological areas. This will provide financial support to startups and boost the innovation capacity of the country.
expansion of metro network
Approval of Rs 2,254 crore was given for 11.56 km extension of Aqua Line of Noida Metro from Sector-142 to Botanical Garden. After this expansion, the metro network of Noida and Greater Noida will reach 61.62 kilometers. Metro expansion will provide convenience to passengers and reduce traffic pressure in cities.
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