Governor of Gujarat Acharya Shri Devvrat ji, the popular Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Bhai Patel ji, my colleague in the Cabinet, Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw ji, my associate in Parliament and the President of the Gujarat state Bharatiya Janata Party Shri C.R. Patil, and all the esteemed Governors, Chief Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assemblies and Ministers. I am witnessing on the screen lakhs of people participating in this event today at more than 700 locations across the country under the leadership of the local Members of Parliament and Ministers. Perhaps such a massive event spanning every corner of Bharat has never happened before in the history of the Railways. This is the first time in 100 years that such an event is taking place. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Railways for this magnificent event.
The continuous expansion of new construction for the ‘Viksit Bharat’ is underway. Projects are being inaugurated in every corner of the country, and new schemes are starting. If I talk about the year 2024, which is just around 75 days, in these approximately 75 days of 2024, inauguration and foundation laying ceremonies of projects worth more than 11 lakh crore rupees have been held. And if I talk about the last 10-12 days alone, inauguration and foundation laying ceremonies of projects worth more than 7 lakh crore rupees have taken place. Today, the nation has taken a very significant step forward in the direction of ‘Viksit Bharat’. In this program, the inauguration and foundation laying of projects worth more than one lakh crore rupees have now taken place.
And you see, today the country has received projects worth more than 85,000 crore rupees only for the railways. Despite this, there is a shortage of time for me. I do not want the pace of development to slow down. And that is why today another program has been added to the programs of the railways - the petroleum sector. The foundation laying ceremony of the petrochemical complex, which is being built at a cost of more than 20,000 crore rupees in Dahej, Gujarat, has also taken place. And this project will play an important role not only in hydrogen production but also in meeting the demand for polypropylene in the country. Today, the foundation stone of Ekta Malls has also been laid in Gujarat and Maharashtra. These Ekta Malls will help in taking the mission of Bharat’s prosperous cottage industry, our handicrafts, and our Vocal for Local campaign to every corner of the country, and they will also strengthen the foundation of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
I extend congratulations to the citizens of the country for these projects. And I want to tell my young colleagues, Bharat is a young country, with a large number of youth living in the country. I especially want to tell my young colleagues that the inaugurations happening today are for your present, and the foundation laying ceremonies will ensure the guarantee of a bright future for you.
Friends,
After independence, the governments prioritized political interests, and Indian Railways suffered greatly as a result. Take a look at the 25-30 rail budgets before 2014. What did the Railway Ministers say in the Parliament? They would promise stops for some trains. If there were 6 coaches in a train, they would add to 8. And the members would applaud in the Parliament too at such announcements. Their only concern was whether the stoppage was granted or not. Did the train, which reached my station, get extended or not? If this had been the thinking in the 21st century, what would have become of the country? And the first thing I did was to segregate the separate budget for railways and integrate it with the budget of the Indian government, which led to funds from the Indian government's budget being allocated for the development of the railways.
In recent days, we have seen a constraint on time; you have seen the situation here. People would go to the station not to know which train is on the platform. People used to see how late it was. This was the routine; there was no mobile phone at that time. One had to go to the station to see how late the train was. They would tell their relatives, "Stay there, who knows when the train will come, otherwise you will have to come back again from home." This used to happen. The problem of cleanliness, security, convenience, everything was left to the fate of the passenger.
In 2014, ten years ago in our country, there were six northeastern states whose capitals were not connected by our country's railways. In 2014, there were more than 10,000 railway crossings in the country where there was no one to man them, and accidents were happening regularly. And because of that, we had to lose our talented children, our youth. Only 35 per cent of railway lines were electrified in the country by 2014. Doubling the railway lines was also not a priority for previous governments. Who was enduring hardships in this situation? Who was facing the problems? It was the common man of our country, the middle class family, the small farmer of Bharat, the small entrepreneur of Bharat. Recall the condition of railway reservations! Long queues, brokerage, commission, hours of waiting! People had also resigned to their fate and thought of enduring a journey of two or four hours. This is what life had become. And I started my life on the railway tracks. That's why I know very well what the condition of the railway was.
Friends,
To pull Indian Railways out of that hellish situation required the determination that our government has shown. Now, the development of railways is one of the top priorities of the government. In the last 10 years, we have increased the average rail budget by six times compared to before 2014. And today, I am giving a guarantee to the country that in the next five years, they will see a transformation in Indian Railways that they couldn't have imagined. Today's day is living proof of this determination. The youth of the country will decide what kind of country they want, what kind of railways they want. The work of these 10 years is just a trailer; I have to go further. Today, Vande Bharat trains have been introduced in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha. And along with this, a century of Vande Bharat train services has also been completed in the country. The network of Vande Bharat trains has now reached more than 250 districts of the country. Respecting public sentiments, the government is continuously expanding the routes of Vande Bharat trains. The Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat train will now go to Dwarka. And I have just recently visited Dwarka and took a dip there. The Ajmer-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Vande Bharat Express will now go up to Chandigarh. The Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will now go up to Prayagraj. And this time, since the Kumbh Mela is going to take place, its importance will increase even more. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express has been extended to Mangaluru.
Friends,
Wherever we look around the world, in countries that have prospered, become industrially capable, railways have played a significant role. Therefore, the transformation of railways is also a guarantee of a ‘Viksit Bharat’. Today, unprecedented reforms are taking place in the railways. Construction of new railway tracks at a rapid pace, modernization of more than 1300 railway stations, Next Generation trains like Vande Bharat, Namo Bharat, Amrit Bharat, modern railway engines and coach factories - all these are changing the image of Indian Railways in the 21st century.
Friends,
Under the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal Policy, construction of cargo terminals is being expedited, which has accelerated the pace of cargo terminal development. The land leasing policy has been simplified further. The land leasing process has also been made online, which has brought transparency to the work. To strengthen the country's transportation sector, the Gati Shakti University has also been established under the Ministry of Railways. We are constantly working towards modernizing Indian Railways and connecting every corner of the country through rail. We are installing automatic signalling systems by eliminating human-operated level crossings from the railway network. We are moving towards 100% electrification of railways, constructing stations powered by solar energy. We are establishing Jan Aushadhi Kendras offering affordable medicines at stations.
And friends,
These trains, tracks, and stations are not just being built, but they are forming a complete ecosystem of 'Made in India'. Whether it is locomotives or train coaches being manufactured in the country, they are being exported to countries like Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Senegal, Myanmar, Sudan, and more. When the demand for semi-high-speed trains being made in Bharat will increase globally, many new factories will be established here. All these efforts in the railway sector, the transformation of the railways, ensure not only new investments but also guarantee new employment opportunities.
Friends,
Some people attempt to view our efforts through the lens of elections. For us, these developmental projects are not for forming a government, but solely a mission to build the nation. The sufferings endured by the previous generations will not have to be borne by our youth and their children. And this is Modi's guarantee.
Friends,
Another example of the 10-year development era of the BJP is the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors. For decades, there was a demand for separate tracks for freight trains. If this had happened, then the speed of both freight and passenger trains would have increased! This was very necessary for farming, industry, export, trade, etc. But during the Congress rule, this project kept hanging and getting stuck. In the past 10 years, the freight corridor connecting the eastern and western sea shores has been almost completed. Today, the inauguration of nearly 650 kilometers of the freight corridor has taken place. You have just witnessed the inauguration of the operation control centre in Ahmedabad. Thanks to the efforts of the government, the speed of freight trains on this corridor has now increased by more than double. There is now the capacity to operate larger wagons, carrying more goods on this corridor. Industrial corridors are also being developed along the entire freight corridor. Today, railway goods sheds, Gati Shakti multimodal cargo terminals, digital control stations, railway workshops, railway locomotive sheds, and railway depots have also been inaugurated at many locations. This will also have a very positive impact on the transportation of goods.
Friends,
Indian Railways is also becoming a new medium for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. As a promoter of Vocal for Local, Indian Railways is a strong medium for Vocal for Local. The local products of our artisans, craftsmen, artists, and women self-help groups will now be sold at stations. So far, 1500 stalls of 'One Station, One Product' have opened at railway stations. This is benefiting thousands of our poor brothers and sisters.
Friends,
I am delighted that Indian Railways, while realizing the mantra of ‘Virasat’ (heritage) and ‘Vikas’ (development), is also promoting tourism related to regional culture and tradition. Today, Bharat Gaurav trains are running on the Ramayana Circuit, Guru-Kripa Circuit, and Jain Pilgrimage. Not only this, but Aastha special trains are taking devotees of Lord Ram from every corner of the country to Ayodhya. So far, around 350 Aastha trains have operated and more than 4.5 lakh devotees have visited Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
Friends,
Indian Railways will continue to surge ahead at the pace of modernity. And this is Modi's guarantee. With the support of all countrymen, this festival of development will continue uninterrupted. Once again, I express my gratitude to everybody as it is not an easy task to conduct this program at 9-9.30 in the morning with all the Chief Ministers, the Hon’ble Governors, and the large number of people who are participating in this program at over 700 locations. The people of the country are connected with development. And that's why one can witness this sight. Those who have come in such large numbers in more than 700 districts today to participate in this program are experiencing this new wave of development. I thank all of you very much. Now I take leave of you. Namaskar
