Jal Jeevan Mission extended till 2028, Madurai Airport given international tag, Modi Cabinet approves 6 important proposals

In the Union Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, such decisions were taken whose impact will be directly visible in homes, roads, rail and air travel. The biggest decision was to extend Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 till 2028, and for this, approval of Rs 8 lakh 70 thousand crore was given.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told after the meeting that the government has approved a total of six important proposals. These include projects related to drinking water access, airport upgrade, express connectivity, increasing railway capacity and strengthening highway infrastructure.

Meaning of Rs 8.70 lakh crore: New deadline for tap water to every village.

Taking the Jal Jeevan Mission forward is not just about budget figures. This simply means that a new deadline has been set for the work in those houses which still do not have regular tap connections or stable water supply. Extending the mission till 2028 will provide additional time and funding support to the states to complete the unfinished work.

According to Vaishnav, with this expansion, the priorities of the projects of the states will be re-determined, so that the works of pipeline, treatment and last mile distribution can be completed rapidly.

This is the biggest ground-level decision.

Madurai gets international tag, Jewar to Faridabad link

The Cabinet approved the proposal to declare Madurai Airport as an international airport. Madurai is already counted among the old and important airports of Tamil Nadu, especially for passengers, pilgrimage and tourism in Southern Tamil Nadu. Getting international status is expected to directly benefit foreign connectivity, cargo possibilities and regional business traffic.

On the other hand, two parallel decisions were taken regarding Jewar Airport. One, revised approval of project cost. Two, approval of the elevated road connecting Jewar Airport to Faridabad. This means that road access to the surrounding industrial and urban belt has been locked at the policy level before the airport becomes operational.

Focus on rail and highway: Preparation to reduce congestion

The Cabinet has also laid emphasis on increasing the capacity in the railway infrastructure. The fourth rail line between Sainthia-Pakud section and the fourth rail line between Santragachi-Kharagpur section have been approved. Fourth line decisions are generally taken only on those routes where freight and passenger traffic pressure has increased for a long time.

A highway project of Madhya Pradesh was also approved in the meeting. The signal from the government is clear that it will simultaneously expand connectivity on both road and rail fronts, so that pressure on logistics and travel time is reduced.

Focus on Middle East also in cabinet meeting

According to government sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the ministers in the meeting to work in coordination so that the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is minimal on the citizens of India. Besides, emphasis was also laid on ensuring advance preparation for possible challenges.

That is, the focus of the cabinet was not limited to domestic infrastructure only. On one hand, decisions were taken on water, airport, road and rail, on the other hand, the line of administrative preparation to reduce the impact on Indians due to external geopolitical tension was also decided. Now the concerned ministries will release the detailed implementation timeline and further procedures of these approved projects.

Cabinet Briefing by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

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