The infrastructure received a booster dose for roads, highways and aviation with the shot in arm to railways sector.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced to implement three major economic railway corridor programmes and convert 40,000 normal railway bogies to Vande Bharat standards.
Presenting the interim budget for 2024-25, the FM said that creating the corridors will decongest high-traffic corridors and also improve passenger train operations.
The FM said that the expansion of existing airports and development of new airports will continue expeditiously.
An allocation of Rs 2.70 lakh crore was made for the highways sector for 2023-24, which was revised to Rs 2.76 lakh crore.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman marginally increased allocation to state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to Rs 1.68 lakh crore for 2024-25 from last year's revised allocation of Rs 1.67 lakh crore.
The pre-election Budget 2024-25 document has allocated marginally enhanced outlay of Rs 2.78 lakh crore for the highways sector.
NHAI and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for the construction of national highways and expressways in India.
While railway corridors will improve efficiency of logistic services and reduce cost, conversion of coaches will increase safety, convenience and comfort of passengers, she said.
"Three major economic railway corridor programmes will be implemented. These are: energy, mineral and cement corridors, port connectivity corridors, and high-traffic density corridors," Sitharaman said.
"The projects have been identified under PM Gati Shakti for enabling multi-modal connectivity. They will improve logistics efficiency and reduce cost," she said. The creation of new railway corridors will result in decongestion of high-traffic corridors and "will also help in improving operations of passenger trains, resulting in safety and higher travel speed for passengers", Sitharaman said.
"Together with dedicated freight corridors, these three economic corridor programmes will accelerate our GDP growth and reduce logistic costs," the finance minister said.
She said that "40,000 normal rail bogies will be converted to Vande Bharat standards to enhance safety, convenience and comfort of passengers".
“The aviation sector has been galvanised in the last 10 years and the number of airports have doubled to 114,” said the Finance Minister.
“A total of 517 new routes are carrying 1.3 crore passengers. Indian carriers have proactively placed orders for over 1,000 new aircraft. Expansion of existing airports and development of new airports will continue expeditiously,” she said.
“We have a fast expanding middle class and rapid urbanisation is taking place, metro rail and Namo Bharat can be the catalyst for the required urban transformation. Expansion of these systems will be supported in large cities focusing on transit-oriented development,” said Sitharaman.