For the 2024–25 fiscal year, the Centre has allotted Rs 10,536 crore for the development of Odisha’s railway infrastructure, Union Railway Minister Vaishnaw announced on Sunday.
At the special ceremony held in Bhubaneswar to honour the recently elected BJP MPs and MLAs, Vaishnaw stated, “Ten years ago, the Railways were providing only Rs 800 crore in financial assistance to Odisha.” The dream of development for Odisha’s railway industry was dismissed. Nonetheless, funding for Odisha has increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. For the past three years, Odisha has received railway assistance totaling Rs 10,000 crore.
For the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the Centre has allotted Rs 10,536 crore for the development of Odisha’s railway infrastructure. The construction of 1,846 km of railway track in Odisha is a record. There are 17,00 km of railways in Sri Lanka overall. In the past ten years, Odisha has built more railway tracks than Sri Lanka. During the previous government’s tenure, work was not progressing. The State will experience new records following the BJP government’s formation in Odisha, the Minister continued.
Vaishnaw added that in the upcoming five years, Odisha will receive new projects valued at Rs 1 lakh crore.