Kumar Bahukhandi
Shah said 97 per cent of all bio toilets were fixed in trains by the Modi government, while 87 per cent of LBH coaches were produced in India during the PM’s tenure. Electrification of railways happened by 70 per cent, the budget for railway safety increased by 67 per cent, and the capacity of locomotive production increased by 66 per cent during Modi’s rule, he said. Photo: PTI
Says Modi transformed railways, while Cong indulged in scams
New Delhi, Ahmedabad: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had transformed the railways and urged the public to challenge the Congress to a debate based on facts and figures.
Addressing a gathering after flagging off the country’s first LNG train from Sabarmati station in Gujarat, Shah accused the Congress of corruption during its tenure and claimed that no one had been able to accuse Modi of corruption in 12 years.
“Before 2014, this country was ruled by one family. I want to talk only about railways. Dedicated freight corridor, rapid rail system, premium stations, all these have been started by Modiji. And by inaugurating a train running on hydrogen, he has placed India among just 4 countries in the world,” he said.
“The Congress speaks nonsense. The people of the country should ask them to discuss figures. You (Congress) did nothing except fraud, scams and corruption worth Rs 12 lakh crore. But no one has been able to accuse Modi of corruption of even four annas in 12 years,” Shah said.
During the programme, Shah also flagged off a WAG-12 electric locomotive and inaugurated, dedicated to the nation or laid foundation stones for railway projects worth more than ₹1,500 crore. These included line-doubling works, the Kavach train protection system, automatic signalling and a maintenance shed for WAG-12 electric locomotives.
Shah said the trial of the first long double-stack container train from Mumbai to Vadodara had been completed successfully. He said it would help address constraints on freight movement, double carrying capacity and meet requirements up to 2040.
“Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, he has brought several new facilities in the railways and modernised it. Under the Modi government, 11000 km long rail corridor is being converted into a 4-track network, which will lead to a lot of convenience in traffic,” he said
. Shah said 97 per cent of bio-toilets in trains had been installed during the Modi government’s tenure. He also said 87 per cent of the coaches referred to in the supplied figures had been manufactured in India during this period.
He credited the government with 70 per cent of railway electrification and said the railway safety budget and locomotive production capacity had increased by 67 per cent and 66 per cent respectively.
“Modi solidified the concept of Make in India, the concept of self-reliant India, and this is the result of it. In 2015-16, Railways used 293 crore litres of diesel. By 2024-25 it will be 108 crore litres, and by 2030 it will be reduced to zero. We will save currency. This is a great achievement which does not come to people’s attention,” Shah said.
Annual railway electrification had risen from 75 km in 2010–11 to 7,188 km in 2023-24, he said. Shah put railway electrification at 99.6 per cent and said India would achieve full electrification. He cited corresponding figures of 92 per cent for China, 68 per cent for Spain, 60 per cent for France and 49 per cent for Britain.
Turning to Gujarat, Shah said its railway budget allocation had risen from ₹589 crore in the 2009-14 period to 17,366 in 2026-27.
( Source : Press Release )
