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What’s likely to be unveiled by the Railway Budget

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The Rail Budget this year will focus on making long-distance travel comfortable, densening the railway network in the poll-bound states and enhancing the connectivity in metro cities as well as the Northeast region.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her fourth Budget on Tuesday (February 1).

This will be the sixth joint Budget after the merger of the Rail Budget with the Union Budget in 2017.

As per information, it is expected that the Centre will increase the Rail budget by 15 to 20 per cent this year.

With the Assembly elections in five states round the corner, the Centre can announce new railway facilities for the common passengers.

Although the Railways incurred a loss of Rs 26,338 crore in the last one year, this time the Rail Budget is expected to be enhanced to around Rs 2.5 lakh crore.

Last year, the Centre allocated a record budget of Rs 1,10,055 crore for the Railways.

The Centre can also propose the electrification of a record 7,000 km of railway track this time as part of its efforts to achieve complete electrification of broad-gauge railway lines by the end of 2023.

The lower and the middle class pay special attention to the Rail Budget as they share a deep connection with the railways, which is considered as the lifeline of the country. There is also a possibility of the announcement of high-speed trains in the Budget.

Plans are being made to strengthen the rail connectivity in the poll-bound states and metro cities. For this, the government can involve some private partners.

A bullet train between New Delhi and Varanasi can also be announced in the Budget. Significantly, the work of the first bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is already underway.

Similarly, announcement of a bullet train on the Delhi-Howrah route is also expected in the Budget.

Announcements regarding semi-high speed trains on the Golden Quadrilateral route, expansion of Vande Bharat Express and new dedicated freight corridors are also expected.

As per the sources, the special focus in the Rail Budget will be on the Golden Quadrilateral Routes, on which the government can announce to run semi-high speed trains having a speed of 180 to 200 kmph. These trains will be like the Vande Bharat Express.

The replacement of the old ICF coaches in all trains and installation of new LHB coaches, is another major announcement to be expected in the Budget.

About ten new light trains (aluminium ones), which are energy efficient, can be announced for long distance journeys. Similarly, a proposal to make 6,500 aluminium coaches, 1,240 locomotives and about 35,000 wagons can be proposed in the Budget.

Railways is also manufacturing several special trains replacing the traditional IPS coaches with the LHB coaches made of German technology. Also the coaches for a new ‘Deccan Queen’ are being manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

For this new ‘Deccan Queen’, two specially designed coaches for guards, five AC chair car coaches, 12 non-AC chair car coaches and one pantry cum dining coach have been made. This train will have 20 coaches and each one will have its own specialty. On the same lines, other trains are also expected to be announced in the Budget.

In the Rail Budget, the Centre will also be focusing on the expansion of the rail network in the Northeast region.

In the last Budget also, the Finance Minister had announced plans to build new DFC corridors for routes like East Coast, East-West and North-South. Just before the Manipur elections, for the first time since Independence, a goods train reached Rani Gaidinliu railway station in Tamenglong district of Manipur.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has recently taken stock of the Jiribam-Imphal new line project in Manipur through an aerial survey. The project includes the longest tunnel in the country, which will connect Guwahati and Imphal. Vaishnaw had said that Rs 7,000 crore has been allocated this year for various rail projects in the Northeast.

National

Clear focus on good governance and transformation: PM Modi on 11 years of ‘seva’

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PM MODI

New Delhi, June 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has witnessed rapid transformations across diverse sectors in the last 11 years, and the NDA government, guided by the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, has delivered pathbreaking changes with speed, scale and sensitivity.

Marking the 11 years of the NDA government at the Centre, PM Modi on Monday took to social media to highlight the efforts made across key sectors. India has undergone a decade of remarkable transformation, driven by the principles of Seva, Sushasan, and Garib Kalyan, he said.

PM Modi said there has been a clear focus on good governance and transformation.

“Powered by the blessings and collective participation of 140 crore Indians, India has witnessed rapid transformations across diverse sectors. Guided by the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, the NDA Government has delivered pathbreaking changes with speed, scale and sensitivity,” PM Modi wrote on his X post.

He said that from economic growth to social upliftment, the government’s focus has been on people-centric, inclusive and all-around progress. India today is not just the fastest-growing major economy, but also a key global voice on pressing issues like climate action and digital innovation.

“We are proud of our collective success but at the same time, we look ahead with hope, confidence and a renewed resolve to build a Viksit Bharat!” said the Prime Minister.

PM Modi shared links about India’s Vikas Yatra, showcased through interesting videos, infographics, and articles on the NaMo App, and urged people to explore these.

He said the last 11 years have brought many positive changes and boosted ‘Ease of Living.’

“The NaMo App takes you through this transformative journey in an innovative manner, through interactive games, quizzes, surveys and other such formats that inform, engage and inspire. Do have a look…,” PM Modi shared and urged people to participate.

The Centre has released an e-book, “Viksit Bharat ka Amrit Kaal: Seva, Sushasan, Garib Kalyan ke 11 Saal”, on its achievements across all the sectors over the past 11 years under the leadership of PM Modi.

“The year 2025 marks 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. These 11 years have been dedicated to bring about development which is inclusive, progressive, and sustainable. The government under Prime Minister Modi has been steadfast in its commitment of creating equity and opportunity for all citizens. PM Modi has brought the politics of development – Vikasvaad – into the mainstream, making it the focal point around which political discourse and policy action now revolves,” said its introduction

Divided into 14 chapters, the book covers issues ranging from schemes for the poor and marginalised, farmer welfare, economy, healthcare, women/youth empowerment, infrastructure development, tech revolution, ease-of-living for middle class, the progress made in northeast, national security and foreign policy, environment and sustainability initiatives, and preservation and propagation of the country’s rich culture and heritage

“Since assuming office in 2014, PM Modi has remained firm in his resolve of keeping ‘India First’ in every policy formulation and action. This resolve is evident in government’s handling of both external and internal security, economic management, empowerment schemes for marginalised groups, efforts at cultural conservation and so on,” it said.

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Business

India embraces cashless revolution in last 11 years: Nirmala Sitharaman

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Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi, June 9: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that India is embracing a cashless revolution with world-class digital initiatives like unified payments interface (UPI).

In the last 11 years, India has seen a remarkable journey under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the finance minister said on a post on X.

“India is embracing a cashless revolution. With Rs 70,000 crore+ worth UPI transactions daily and 59.6 crore transactions in a single day, digital payments are now the norm,” the minister added.

From making life easier for the common citizen to boosting business confidence, it’s been a decade of real and visible change, she further stated.

India today is not just the fastest-growing major economy, but also a key global voice on pressing issues like climate action and digital innovation.

In the month of May, UPI posted a robust growth by processing 18.68 billion transactions, up from 17.89 billion in April. As per data by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the UPI transactions mark a 33 per cent year-on-year (YoY) surge compared to 14.03 billion transactions in the same month last year.

The UPI transactions rose to Rs 25.14 lakh crore (by value) last month, a 5 per cent increase from Rs 23.95 lakh crore in April. This reflects a 23 per cent rise from Rs 20.45 lakh crore in May last year. The average daily transaction volume stood at 602 million, while the average daily transaction value reached Rs 81,106 crore.

The UPI has strengthened its dominance in India’s digital payments system with its share in the total transaction volume rising to 83.7 per cent in 2024-25 from 79.7 per cent in the previous financial year.

The RBI’s annual report shows that UPI facilitated 185.8 billion transactions during 2024-25, which represents a 41 per cent year-on-year increase. In value terms, UPI transactions rose to Rs 261 lakh crore from Rs 200 lakh crore in FY24.

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National

Assam CM holds meeting on governance issues, focus on police welfare

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Guwahati, June 9: In a series of high-level meetings held throughout the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reviewed a broad spectrum of governance issues, placing particular emphasis on police welfare, social benefit schemes, infrastructure investment, and agricultural exports.

Taking to social media platform X on Sunday, CM Sarma outlined key outcomes of the discussions.

The primary discussions among them was the announcement of a new model aimed at ensuring timely promotions for Assam police personnel.

“We are working on a model to ensure time-bound promotions from Constable to Havildar through the Assured Career Progression Scheme,” the Chief Minister posted, emphasising the need for recognising the hard work and dedication of the state’s police force.

The CM also assessed the district-wise and Legislative Assembly constituency-wise implementation of the Orunodoi 3.0 scheme, Assam’s flagship direct benefit transfer initiative.

He directed officials to ensure that no deserving beneficiary is excluded from the scheme, which aims to offer financial aid to economically vulnerable households.

In addition, CM Sarma reviewed the status of various projects under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, a Central government initiative to support infrastructure development.

The review aimed at accelerating the pace of ongoing works and addressing bottlenecks in execution.

On the agricultural front, the Chief Minister highlighted the success of the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) in expanding the global reach of the state’s agri-products.

With APART 2 in the pipeline, the state government plans to integrate the project with the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative to deliver cohesive outcomes and boost farmer incomes.

The day’s reviews reflect the government’s push toward administrative efficiency, welfare delivery, and economic development in Assam.

The CM said on X, “Took an in-depth review on the progress of various schemes ongoing under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment. @apartassam has been successful in taking forward Assam’s agri products to the world market. We are making it more potent through APART 2 which will also link up with ODOP for cohesive results and boost farmers’ incomes.”

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