Govt Raised Spending On Road Infra Projects To Over ₹12 Lakh Crore From Just ₹2 Lakh Crore Earlier: PM Modi

Over Rs 12 lakh crore is being spent on road infrastructure projects like the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, compared to just Rs 2 lakh crore before 2014, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

“Earlier, less than even Rs 2 lakh crore was spent in the country on such infrastructure projects. Today, over six times that amount, or Rs 12 lakh crore, is being spent,” PM Modi said.

Projects worth over Rs 2.25 lakh crore are being worked upon in Uttarakhand alone, he added.

He emphasised the investment made by the Centre in building highways and expressways, which he termed the path of fortune (bhagyarekha) for the country’s development.

India in the 21st century is entering an unprecedented phase of modern infrastructure development, he said.

The PM was speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor.

“I will give you an example of Uttarakhand, Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Only a few weeks earlier, the Delhi Metro was expanded, metro services started in Meerut, the Delhi-Meerut Namo Metro was inaugurated, Noida International Airport was inaugurated, work on MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facilities was started, and today, the Dehradun-Delhi Expressway is being inaugurated,” he said.

Across the country, the PM said, various industrial corridors are being developed such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, East Coast Economic Corridor, and Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor.

These economic corridors are gateways to the country’s development. He said that the government’s push for infrastructure development across the country will be crucial in India’s path to becoming a developed nation.

The Prime Minister said that the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will prove to be a catalyst for tourism in the region apart from benefiting businesses.

The 213 km-long six-lane access-controlled Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor has been built at a cost of over Rs 12,000 crore.

Traversing through the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the expressway cuts travel time between the two cities to 2.5 hours from 6 hours earlier.