Budget 2020: Nirmala Sitharaman announces 100 new airports by 2024
Presenting her second budget in the Lok Sabha today, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke about roads, air, and rail transport. She assured that 100 new airports will be developed by 2024. The BJP leader also focused on highways and said that 2,000 km of strategic highways will be built. On Railways, she said that soon 11,000 km of tracks will be electrified. Here's more.
Government wants to monetize 12 lots of highway bundles
Sitharaman announced Rs. 1.7 lakh crore will be spent on transport infrastructure in 2021. She proposed to monetize a fast-track mechanism for the development of highway bundles. The government plans to monetize 12 lots of highway bundles of 6,000 km by 2024. Further, Mumbai-Delhi Expressway will be completed by 2023, and soon work will begin on the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway, she disclosed.
More trains like Tejas will be rolled out
Moving towards Railways, Sitharaman said more trains, on the style of the coveted Tejas Express, will be rolled out. Further, 1,150 trains will run in PPP mode and four stations will redevelop with help from the private sector. She said more high-speed trains like the one between Ahmedabad and Mumbai will be started, and the Bengaluru suburban train will be pursued in a dedicated manner.
