PM rolls out ₹100 lakh-cr infra building plans

The PM has announced that ₹100 lakh crore will be spent towards infrastructure creation in the country as in the last five years his government has seen massive spending on roads, railways, water, irrigation and urban infrastructure. Connectivity, both physical and digital, which has a multiplier effect on the economy, is a key development goal for his government in its second term as it seeks to steer the economy away from adverse headwinds and to become the fifth largest in the world. The first Vande Bharat Express, which is running on the Delhi-Varanasi route, showed that there is more space to store meals for passengers and a slew of modern features like adjustable seats, improved wash basins, automatic doors, WiFi and infotainment system among others and that the rail sector will be upgraded on the same pattern elsewhere in the county. The government has also set ambitious plans, such as Sagarmala (ports) and Bharatmala (roads) to improve transport infrastructure. While the total investment for the Bharatmala project has been pegged at Rs.10 lakh crore—the largest ever outlay for a government road construction scheme—the country has envisaged ₹8 lakh crore of investment until 2035 under the Sagarmala program and plans are afoot for infrastructure creation in areas such as clean energy, electric mobility, among others.