NEW DELHI, Dec 13: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated on Friday that the infrastructure developed over the last decade surpasses what was accomplished in the previous 60 years.
Scindia, who serves as the Minister for Communications and the Development of the North Eastern Region, emphasized that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government has prioritized infrastructure development focusing on quality, speed, quantity, and coverage.
“Since 2014, there has been a complete transformation in infrastructure. The Prime Minister inaugurated 15 airports in one day on March 10. The pace of infrastructure development in the past decade is unparalleled and unprecedented. Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh went without an airport for 65 years, but now Sikkim boasts an airport and Arunachal has four,” Scindia remarked.
He pointed out that while 74 airports were established during 70 years of previous governance, that number has increased to 157 under the Modi administration, with the total number of aircraft increasing from approximately 400 to around 750.
“Infrastructure is crucial for transforming a developing nation into a developed one. Each rupee invested in infrastructure yields a GDP contribution of 2.5 to 3 times,” Scindia explained.
The minister noted that the budget for road, rail, and aviation infrastructure has significantly expanded over the past decade.
He highlighted that the capital expenditure of about Rs 11.5 lakh crore allocated in the union budget is comparable to the GDP of several countries.
“There has been a consistent annual increase of 10-15% in capital expenditure. For instance, the road budget has soared from approximately Rs 31,130 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2.7 lakh crore in 2024-25, marking a ninefold increase,” Scindia stated.
He mentioned that India has built a railway network matching the scale of Germany’s over the past 10 years.
Additionally, the national highway network has expanded from 91,000 kilometers to 150,000 kilometers. “The NDA government under the Prime Minister has accomplished what was not achieved during the UPA era, leading to an impressive eightfold increase in the railway budget,” Scindia noted.
He further stated that road construction has increased from 12 kilometers per day in 2014-15 to 37.8 kilometers per day, with a government target of reaching 60 kilometers per day.
Thanks to an improved road network, Scindia indicated that freight truck transit times have been reduced by about 20%, leading to annual savings of Rs 4.8 lakh crore, up from Rs 2.4 lakh crore previously. The target is to lower logistics costs to 9%.
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