BHUBANESWAR: The country’s fastest train Vande Bharat Express will be introduced by February-end followed by a special Jagannath Express during Rath Yatra, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Saturday.
The Indian Railways has planned to launch the Jagannath Express under Bharat Gaurav scheme to promote Puri Rath Yatra and Jagannath culture and allow people from India and abroad to experience the festival, he said.
The special train will operate on the lines of Ramayana Tour. “A separate Jagannath circuit is being planned to run the ‘Jagannath Express’ train from Rath Yatra 2023,” Vaishnaw said. He was attending the ‘Odisha Nirman Conclave - 2022’ here organised by Kanak News.
The premier Vande Bharat Express will also be introduced in Odisha by the end of February 2023. “The high-speed train was introduced overcoming all technical challenges and now we are manufacturing two Vande Bharat Express trains a month. The number is expected to go up to four by next February,” he said. The 5G services will also be launched in Odisha in the first phase, while Centre will also support any proposal received from the state government for metro rail service, the Union minister said.
He said Odisha deserves a metro rail but the state government is yet to send any proposal in this regard to the Railways. “We will definitely support and consider whenever the state proposes it,” he said. The minister said the railway budget for the state that used to be around Rs 830 crore till 2014 has now been increased to Rs 9,750 crore. Projects worth over Rs 59,949 crore has been sanctioned for the state, while process has been initiated for transformation of 28 railway stations including Puri and Bhubaneswar.
He also informed that the Telecom bill and Data Protection bill are expected to be passed in the Parliament by next August. “The two new legislations will help significantly in protecting data and curbing cyber fraud activities,” he said.
Earlier in a virtual address to the conclave, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated that inclusive development has been the hallmark of Odisha government. The government has always been sensitive to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged section of society from the beginning, he said.
“Inclusive development has been the hallmark of my government. I personally believe that Odisha must go forward by taking along all sections of society in its transformation journey,” he said. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu also spoke.Sambad editor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, managing director of Sambad Group Monica Nair Patnaik and Kanak News executive director Tanaya Patnaik were present.