Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday proposed to introduce 400 new Vande Bharat trains and said contracts for multi-modal parks at four locations will be awarded next fiscal. She also said that a rationalised scheme to increase domestic oilseed production will be brought in to cut down imports. "One product one railway station will be popularised, 400 new Vande Bharat trains to be introduced," Sitharaman said in her Budget 2022-23 speech.
"100 PM Gati Shakti cargo terminals for multimodal logistic facilities will be developed during the next three years," the Finance Minister said while presenting the Union Budget in Parliament on Tuesday. The Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multimodal Connectivity was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October, last year. Gati Shakti — a digital platform — aims to bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
Sitharaman said that PM Gati Shakti is driven by 7 engines viz roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways and logistics infrastructure.
"All 7 engines will pull forward the economy in unison," the Finance Minister averred
The Finance Minister also apprised that PM Gati Shakti Master Plan for expressways will be formulated in 2022-23, to facilitate faster movement of people and goods. She said that the national highway motorway network will be expanded by 25,000 km in 2022-23 and Rs 20,000 crore will be mobilized to complement public resources.
The Minister added that 2,000 km of the rail network will be brought under the indigenous world-class technology KAWACH. 'Kavach' is indigenously developed anti-collision device to prevent accidents to achieve railways its goal of zero accidents.
The Railways will develop new products for small farmers and MSMEs, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman added.