Rs 10,000 Crore Sanctioned In Union Budget For Bihar Rail Network: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said Rs 10,000 crore has been sanctioned in this year's Union Budget for strengthening rail infrastructure in Bihar.

Speaking at the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony for a new level crossing gate near Karpoori Gram railway station in Samastipur district, the minister also inaugurated several upgraded passenger amenities at the station.

"The NDA government at the Centre, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore in this year's budget for rail infrastructure in Bihar," Vaishnaw told reporters.

"In the past 11 years, over 34,000 km of new railway tracks have been laid, and 1,300 stations are being redeveloped as modern Amrit Bharat stations," he added.

The minister also announced that the Karpoori Gram railway station would now come under the Samastipur railway division. Earlier, it was under the jurisdiction of Sonpur railway division.

He also announced that four new Amrit Bharat trains will soon become operational in Bihar.

These are a daily Amrit Bharat train from Patna to Delhi; a weekly service from Darbhanga to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar); a weekly train from Malda to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar); and a new Amrit Bharat train from Saharsa to Amritsar.

The minister also announced that several major infrastructure and technology projects for Bihar are in the pipeline and will be sanctioned shortly. These are Bhagalpur-Jamalpur third rail line (Rs 1,156 crore, 53 km), Bakhtiyarpur-Rajgir-Tilaiya doubling project (Rs 2,017 crore, 104 km), Rampurhat-Bhagalpur doubling project (Rs 3,000 crore, 177 km) In addition, two new Software Technology Parks of India (STPIs) are ready for inauguration. These are STPI Patna (Patliputra new building) at an estimated cost of Rs 53 crore and STPI Darbhanga at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore.

"These initiatives will further boost connectivity and digital infrastructure in the state," the minister said.

"A long pending proposal to bring Karpoori Gram railway station under the Samastipur railway division has been approved", he said.

Karpoori Gram is the native village of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, who was conferred Bharat Ratna last year.

Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, son of Karpoori Thakur, was also present on the occasion.

Earlier in the day in Patna, the railway minister inspected passenger facilities at Digha Bridge halt station and gave necessary instructions to officials.

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