The historic South Block, which witnessed the country’s power and policies for nearly 95 years, has now moved towards a new era. For the first time since its inauguration in 1931, the government is going to shift its functioning from here to the new Seva Teerth complex. In the last cabinet meeting held before this historic change, the Central Government presented a big outline of development by approving mega projects worth Rs 1,60,504 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved three major railway multitracking projects at a cost of Rs 18,509 crore. These include Kasara-Manmad, Delhi-Ambala and Ballari-Hospet third and fourth lines. These projects will expand the rail network by about 389 kilometers and generate employment of 265 lakh man-days. According to the government, these projects will add an additional 96 million tonnes of freight capacity annually, which will enable reduction in oil imports by 220 million liters and reduction in CO₂ emissions by 111 crore kilograms. This will provide better connectivity to about 3,902 villages and 97 lakh people.
Twin-tube tunnel will be built under Brahmaputra
A 33.7 km long greenfield corridor and 15.79 km long underwater road-cum-rail tunnel between Gohpur and Numaligarh in Assam has been approved at a cost of Rs 18,662 crore. This project will give new strength to the connectivity of North Eastern states and generate employment of about 80 lakh man-days.
National Highway Upgrade and Connectivity Boost
Thousands of crores of rupees will also be spent on National Highway projects in Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra. These projects will reduce travel time, improve connectivity to industrial clusters and generate employment opportunities for lakhs of man-days. Steps like connectivity with Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will help in reducing logistics costs.
Promote urban development and startups
The Cabinet has approved the Urban Challenge Fund Scheme of Rs 1 lakh crore, which will be applicable from 2025-26 to 2030-31. Through this, urban projects worth more than Rs 4 lakh crore are expected to get momentum. Additionally, a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore has also been approved for ‘Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0’, which will encourage sectors like deep tech and innovative manufacturing.
Metro extension also got approval
The 11.56 km extension of Noida Metro Aqua Line from Sector-142 to Botanical Garden has been approved for Rs 2,254 crore. With this, the metro network of Noida and Greater Noida will reach 61.62 kilometers.
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