ARUNACHAL

ØDedicates newly electrified sections and newly constructed DEMU/MEMU shed

Ø“First Vande Bharat Express of Northeast will boost tourism and enhance connectivity”

Ø“The last 9 years have been of unprecedented achievements for building a New India”

Ø“Our government has prioritized the welfare of the poor”

Ø“Infrastructure is for everyone and it does not discriminate, Infrastructure development is true social justice and true secularism”

Ø“The biggest beneficiaries of the infrastructure push have been the states of Eastern and Northeastern India”

Ø“Indian Railway has become a medium of connecting hearts, societies and opportunities to the people along with speed”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged offAssam’s first Vande Bharat Express via video conferencing today. The Vande Bharat Express will connect Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri Guwahati and the journey will take 5 hrs 30 mins. The Prime Minister also dedicated 182 Route kilometers of newly electrified sections and inaugurated a newly constructed DEMU/MEMU shed at Lumding in Assam

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that today is a huge day for the connectivity of the Northeast as three development works are being accomplished together. Firstly, the Prime Minister elaborated, Northeast is getting its first Vande Bharat Express today where this is the third Vande Bharat Express which connects West Bengal. Secondly, approximately 425 kilometers of railway tracks in Assam and Meghalaya have been electrified. And, thirdly, a new DEMU/MEMU shed has been inaugurated in Lumding in Assam. The Prime Minister congratulated the citizens of the entire Northeast along with Assam, Meghalaya and West Bengal o­n this momentous occasion.

The Prime Minister said that the Guwahati -New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat train will strengthen the centuries-old ties between Assam and West Bengal. This will increase ease of travel and provide huge benefits to students and will increase job opportunities arising out of tourism and business. He said that this Vande Bharat will provide connectivity to Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga, Manas National Park, and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. Furthermore, the Prime Minister pointed out that it will enhance travel and tourism in Shillong, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya and Tawang and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.

Throwing light o­n the 9 years of the NDA government in power, the Prime Minister remarked that the nation has witnessed numerous accomplishments and unprecedented development towards a new India in these years. He highlighted the newly inaugurated magnificent Parliament House of independent India and said that it will connect the thousand-year-old democratic history of India with its prosperous democracy of the future. Referring to past governments, the Prime Minister pointed out that the scams of before 2014 had broken all records where the maximum impact was felt by the poor and the states which lagged behind in development. “Our government has prioritized the welfare of the poor”, the Prime Minister remarked as he gave examples of houses, toilets, tapped water connections, electricity, gas pipelines, the development of AIIMS, infrastructure boost to roads, railways, airways, airways, waterways, ports and mobile connectivity. He underlined that the government has worked at full strength to achieve these goals. Noting that infrastructure makes people’s lives easier, creates employment opportunities and becomes a basis for development, the Prime Minister mentioned that the infrastructure development pace in India is being discussed all over the globe. This infrastructure, the Prime Minister said, strengthens and empowers the poor, backward, dalits, adivasis and other deprived sections of the society.“Infrastructure is for everyone and it does not discriminate”, the Prime Minister said as he underlined that this form of development is the pure form of social justice and secularism.

The Prime Minister said that the biggest beneficiaries of the infrastructure push have been the states of Eastern and Northeastern India. He said that earlier, the people of the Northeast remained deprived of even the basic facilities for decades. He said that a large number of villages and families which did not have electricity, telephone or good rail road air connectivity until 9 years ago were from the Northeast.

The Prime Minister presented rail connectivity in the region as an example of work with a service spirit. The rail connectivity in the northeast is proof of the government’s speed, scale and intention, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said that even in colonial times Assam, Tripura and Bengal were connected with railways, even though, with an intention to loot the natural resources of the region. However, even after Independence, the expansion of railways in the region was ignored and finally fell o­n the current government after 2014.

Shri Modi said that he has given the highest priority to Northeast people's sensitivities and facilities. This change has been widely felt, he added. He informed that before 2014, the average railways budget for the Northeast was about 2500 crore rupees which has grown to more than 10 thousand crores this year, a four-fold increase.Now capitals of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Sikkim are being connected to the rest of the country, “Very soon all capital cities of the Northeast are going to be connected with a broad gauge network”,he said, “One lakh crore rupees are being spent o­n these projects.”

“The scale and speed of the development works of the government has been unprecedented”, the Prime Minister remarked as he noted that new rail lines are being laid in the Northeast at three times the pace than before and the doubling of rail lines is taking place 9 times faster than before. The Prime Minister mentioned that the work for doubling of rail lines began in the last 9 years and the government is working towards saturation at a very fast pace.

The Prime Minister credited the pace of development which led to many remote areas of the Northeast being connected with railways. He informed that Nagaland got its second railway station after almost 100 years. Now, the Prime Minister said, Vande Bharat Semi High-speed trains and Tejas Express are running o­n the same path where o­nce stood a narrow gauge line capable of low speeds. He also mentioned the Vista Dome coaches of the Indian Railways which have become a center of attraction for tourists.

“Indian Railway has become a medium of connecting hearts, societies and opportunities to the people along with speed”, the Prime Minister remarked as he highlighted the first transgender tea stall at Guwahati Railway Station. He stated that it is an attempt to give a life of respect to those who expect better behaviour from society. Under the 'One Station, o­ne Product' scheme, the Prime Minister highlighted that stalls have been set up at railway stations in the Northeast which give emphasis to Vocal for Local thereby providing a new market for local artisans, artists, and craftsmen. He also gave the example of Wi-Fi facilities provided at hundreds of stations in the Northeast. “It is o­nly with this combination of sensitivity and speed that Northeast will move forward o­n the path of progress and pave the way towards a developed India.

Background

The state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will provide the people of the region with the means to travel with speed and comfort. It will also boost tourism in the region. Connecting Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri, the train will help save about an hour of journey time, when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places. Vande Bharat will cover the journey in 5 hrs 30 mins, while the current fastest train takes 6 hrs 30 mins to cover the same journey.

The Prime Minister dedicated 182 Route kilometers of newly electrified sections. This will help provide pollution-free transportation with trains running at higher speeds and reduced running time of trains. It will also open the doors for trains running o­n electric traction to enter Meghalaya.

              The Prime Minister also inaugurated a newly constructed DEMU/MEMU shed at Lumding in Assam. This new facility will be helpful for maintaining DEMU rakes operating in this region, leading to better operational feasibility.

Ministry of Railways has launched ‘One Station o­ne Product’ (OSOP) scheme over Indian Railways with objectives to promote ‘Vocal for Local’ vision of the Government of India, provide a market for local/indigenous products and create additional income opportunities for the marginalised sections of society. Under the scheme, OSOP outlets at railway stations are allotted for showcasing, selling and giving high visibility to indigenous/local products specific to that place or indigenously grown in the area.

Under the jurisdiction of NFR, 107 OSOP outlets are functioning as o­n 10^thMay, 2023 spreading over 36 railway stations across Assam, 33 in West Bengal and 01 in Arunachal Pradesh. All the stalls are showcasing and marketing varieties of distinct and invaluable products which are locally manufactured. Some major stations include Guwahati, Dibrugarh, New Tinsukia in Assam, New Alipuduar, New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. A variety of Assamese pitha, traditional Assamese Gamosa, traditional Rajbongshi Dress, Jhapi, Local textile, Jute Products (Cap, Gamosa, Doll), handloom as well as other local food products are catching the attention of passengers.

Besides providing an exposure to indigenous culture and traditions, OSOP brings a drastic change to the life of the vendors and their families. OSOP scheme had created a financial security for the families of vendors who are running the OSOP outlets. Smt. Sumari Narzary, proprietor of o­ne of the OSOP outlet at Guwahati station, expressed her satisfaction and thanked Government of India and Railway Ministry for providing them a source of livelihood as well as a platform to display their culture and traditions. The scheme has helped in uplifting local economy.

The pilot of the scheme was started o­n 25.03.2022 and as o­n 01.05.2023, 728 stations are covered with 785 OSOP outlets in 21 States and 3 Union Territories across the country. These OSOP stalls are designed through National Design Institute for uniformity. Cumulative direct beneficiaries from March, 2022 till 01.05.2023is 25,109.