India TV Chunav Manch: Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday appeared as a guest in India TV's Chunav Manch at a time when the high stakes Lok Sabha elections 2024 are underway in the country. He spoke about the performance of the Modi government, especially in the last five years, various issues related to his ministries and vision for the future. Besides railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw also holds communications and Electronics & Information Technology portfolios.
Speaking at Chunav Manch, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that India's station redevelopment program is the largest ever exercise in the world.
In the last 10 years, the Modi government has constructed 31,000 kilometres of new railway tracks. Every day, the government is constructing 14.5 km of new railway tracks.
Apart from launching premium trains, the government has also focussed on non-AC trains for the common man.
When Lalu Yadav was Railways minister, only announcements of new trains used to happen but we never saw any work on the ground.
Ashwini Vaishnaw on semi-conductor manufacturing, 5G network
Speaking about semi-conductor manufacturing, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that work is underway to set up four semi-conductor plants in the country.
In 5G network, India is among the top two ecosystems across the world.
During Congress' rule, only a few selected cities used to have metro train facilities, today, under the Modi government, metro train projects are underway in 20 cities.
Ashwini Vaishnaw on bullet train
When asked about the progress of the bullet train project, Ashwinin Vaishnaw said that it's a very complex project. As of now, work on laying 300 km of track has been done. Construction of bridges on eight rivers, railway stations has been completed and in 2026, the first phase of the bullet train will be launched.
India will be third largest economy in Modi govt's third term, says Union Minister
The Modi government guarantees that in its third term (if BJP wins Lok Sabha elections), India will become the world's third-largest economy.
On Rahul Gandhi's dictatorship allegation on PM Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw responded that he cannot say anything about the Congress scion as he highlights one agenda for a few days and then brings another one.
The NDA will win more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the Union Minister said.
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