New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Saturday that his government’s approval to four multi-tracking railway projects will enhance connectivity infrastructure, increase convenience, lower logistics costs and enhance supply chains.

He was responding to the Union Cabinet’s clearance for four projects of the Ministry of Railways with a total cost of approximately Rs 18,658 crore, a government press note stated.

The four projects spanning 15 districts in three Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh states will add to the current network of Indian Railways by approximately 1,247 km.

PM Modi stated that the Cabinet approval to Vibrant Villages Programme-II is an “exceptional news” for providing a quality life in border villages.

He added, “By giving this approval, we are increasing the range of the villages covered under the programme as against Vibrant Villages Programme-I.”

The program aims at providing improved living standards and sufficient livelihood opportunities to make the border areas prosperous and safe, manage trans-border crimes and integrate the border population with the country and impart ‘eyes and ears of the border guarding forces’ to them, which is vital in terms of internal security.

With an overall expenditure of Rs 6,839 crore, the scheme will be rolled out in some strategic villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal up to 2028-29, a statement mentioned.