Every state, city now wants Vande Bharat connectivity: PM Modi

JAMSHEDPUR/RANCHI: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said there was a time when modern facilities and infrastructure were limited only to a few cities, but the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas’ changed the country’s priorities in terms of development. “Today, the priority of the country is the poor. Today, the priority of the country are the Adivasis, Dalit, backward communities, farmers, women and the youth,” Modi said after inaugurating six new Vande Bharat Express trains and railway projects worth Rs 650 crore in Jharkhand virtually from Ranchi’s Birsa Munda airport.

Modi remained held up at Ranchi airport for more than two hours as his chopper remained grounded due to inclement weather and heavy rains in Jamshedpur. Later, he reached Jamshedpur by road and addressed the BJP ’s Parivartan rally. Modi stressed that every state and city now wants to have high-speed trains such as Vande Bharat.



“I flagged three new Vande Bharat trains in north and south India just a few days ago. The six new trains will strengthen the economy of Eastern India. It will benefit businessmen and students and will enhance economic and cultural activities,” he said.

Among the trains flagged off were the Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express, Deoghar-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express, Tatanagar-Brahmapur Vande Bharat Express, Bhagalpur-Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Gaya-Howrah Vande Bharat Express and the Rourkela-Tatanagar-Howrah Vande Express. Modi also laid the foundation stones of a new coaching depot in Hazaribagh, a bypass line in Deoghar’s Madhupur and inaugurated a 24.4 km long Kurkura-Kanrowa railway line project and 16 underpasses in the state.

With Jharkhand slated to go to elections in a few months, Modi also transferred funds meant to be the first instalment for building homes under the Center’s PMAY (Rural) to 8,000 beneficiaries in the state. “We have sanctioned 1.13 lakh homes for the poor under the scheme in Jharkhand,” Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at the function.

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