In a move to modernize the rail infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stones for re-development of 508 stations under Amrit Bharat Scheme across the country on Sunday.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology; Smt. Darshana Jardosh, Union Minister of State for Railways & Textiles and Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman & CEO Railway Board were present during the foundation laying ceremony.

A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) press statement said that in line up with the ceremony, Governor of Assam Gulab Chand Kataria; Chief Minister of Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma; Pabitra Margherita, MP (RajyaSabha);Smt. Queen Oja, MP (Lok Sabha)and Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway along with other senior officials of Headquarter and Divisions were virtually connected to the central programme from Narangi Railway Station. Governor of Nagaland La. Ganesan and Chief Minister of Tripura Dr. Manik Saha were present at Dimapur and Udaipur stations respectively. Local MLAs with state government officials, eminent personalities of the society, war veterans and school children’s were present at various stations to witness the historic ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Governor of Assam said that, this is a golden era in Northeast rail connectivity and on behalf of the people of Assam thanked PM and Railway Minister for improving rail connectivity in Assam and Northeast states. He also mentioned that, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has improved the cleanliness in trains and station premises. India Railways is equipped with world class facilities to cope with any Railways of the world, he added.

Chief Minister of Assam in his speech mentioned that, it is a matter of pride for the people of Assam that 32 stations in Assam will be modernized under Amrit Railway Stations. He thanked PM and Railway Minister for allocating 10,000 crores in the budget to improve railway connectivity of Northeast. He said that NFR is doing a tremendous work in undergoing various infrastructural works throughout Northeast like doubling of railway tracks, electrification, conversion of gauge which will help in connecting Northeastern states to mainland.

The 508 stations will be redeveloped at a cost of more than Rs 24,470 crores. These stations are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana, 13 in Karnataka among others. A total of 91 stations of NFR have been identified under the Amrit Bharat station scheme. The foundation stone for re-development of 56 stations was laid by the Prime Minister on Sunday. Out of these 56 stations, 32 stations are in Assam, 03 stations in Tripura, 16 stations in West Bengal, 03 stations in Bihar and one station each in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister said that, the modernization of so many stations will create a new atmosphere for development in the country as they will create a good first impression among the visitors. Upgraded stations will not only increase tourism but will also give a push to economic activities in the nearby areas. He said the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme will help the artisans and will help in the branding of the district. Speaking about the Northeastern states, the PM mentioned that work is going on rapidly on doubling of the lines, gauge conversion, electrification and new routes. Soon, all state capitals of the Northeast will be connected by railway network. The work of commissioning of new lines in Northeast has increased three times, he added. The PM specially mentioned about the Dimapur station in Nagaland which will get a facelift displaying its local tribes and ancient culture. He also added that Nagaland got its second Railway Station Shokhuvi after a gap of 100 years.

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has been launched recently for development of Railway stations over Indian Railways. So far 1309 Stations over Indian Railways have been identified under this scheme for re-development. This scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach.