Finance
In the Union Budget 2023-24, which was tabled in parliament on February 1, the Centre allocated Rs 10,012 crore for the railway sector in Odisha.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed this.
“The annual average outlay for railway sector in Odisha was Rs 838 crore in between 2009 and 2014. However, the Centre has allocated Rs 10,012 crore for railway sector in the state in the Budget 2023-24. The present allocation is 12 times more than the average annual outlay during 2009-14 period. This is the record allocation for railway sector in Odisha,” said the Railway Minister.
According to the Railway Minister, the Centre has allocated Rs 1,599 crore in the Budget 2023-24 for the Khurda Road-Bolangir project.
Similarly, Rs 300 crore has been allocated for the Talcher-Bimlagarh railway project, Rs 200 crore for the Angul-Sukinda Road project, Rs 115 crore for the Jeypore-Malkangiri project, and Rs 100 crore for the Jeypore-Nabarangpur project.
The Centre has allocated Rs 284 crore for the new Janjatiya Gaurav corridor in Odisha, as well as an equal amount for the new Energy Corridor. According to Vaishnaw, the Budget includes Rs 57 crore for new port connectivity.
According to him, the Centre has allocated Rs 135 crore for track doubling between Kirandul and Jagdalpur, and Rs 110 crore for track doubling between Jagdalpur and Koraput under Waltair division.
“On an average, the railways was laying just 53.4 kms of new tracks in Odisha in a year in between 2009 and 2014. Now, we are laying around 423 kms of new tracks in Odisha in a year,” said the Railway Minister.
According to Vaishnaw, the Centre has built 417 ROBs and RUBs in Odisha since 2014.
According to him, the One Station One Product initiative has identified 28 railway stations in Odisha.
Puri railway station will promote Pattachitra, Pipli will promote appliqué work and sweets, Cuttack will promote filigree work, handloom and handicrafts, Rourkela will promote tribal products, and Sambalpur will promote Sambalpuri saris and garments, according to Vaishnaw.
Odisha’s 27 railway stations are undergoing renovations. According to him, at least 13 stations in KBK districts have been identified for developmental work.
Notably, in the Budget 2023-24, the state government requested a central allocation of Rs 8,400 crore for railway infrastructure projects in Odisha.
The state had received central allocation of Rs 6,303 crore for railway infrastructure in the last year’s Budget while the overall railway allocation for Odisha was 9,734 crore.
Source:SE
