BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said the maiden Railway Budget of Narendra Modi Government will ensure faster economic growth.
The budget, which seeks course correction avoiding populism of decade-long UPA regime, has given due importance to faster infrastructure growth. “With maximum stress on infrastructure creation, a State like Odisha with huge natural resources can immensely benefit,” Pradhan said.
Resource mobilisation through PSU surplus, foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic PPP projects would go a long way in meeting investment crunch in resolving infrastructure upgradation and creation, he said.
Proposal to set up Railway University and Innovation Incubation Centre will also meet people’s expectations, he said.
On the other hand, describing the Railway Budget as anti-Odisha, the State unit of CPM said the Centre has once again neglected Odisha. While seven districts of the State has no railway network, there is no provision in the budget to provide rail connectivity to these districts, said State CPM secretary Janardan Pati.
Coming down heavily on the NDA Government for allowing FDI in railway, Pati said this is an attempt to privatise Indian Railway.
Pati said his party rejects the budget and calls upon the people to raise their voice against the Central Government’s neglect.