Five times increase in budget allocation for northeast under BJP govt: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday that five times the budget allocation every year was increased for the northeast after the BJP government came to power at the Centre.

Three new trains were flagged off in Guwahati on Friday by Union Minister Vaishnaw.

During the occasion, he said, "More than five times yearly budgetary allocation has been increased for railway infrastructure development work in the Northeast region for the current year in comparison to the period 2009-14."

He also said that the flagging of new train services is expected to bolster regional connectivity and improve travel options for passengers across Assam and neighbouring areas.

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles Pabitra Margherita were present at the Guwahati Railway Station, apart from other MPs and MLAs at various other locations.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between NIELIT and Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd. and exchanged in the presence of the Ministers present on the occasion.

National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), a premier institution under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has been recognised as a deemed to be university under a distinct category by the University Grants Commission.

According to an official statement, the main campus in Ropar, along with its 11 constituent units in Agartala, Aizawl, Ajmer, Aurangabad, Calicut, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Gorakhpur, Patna and Srinagar, NIELIT deemed to be university is set to redefine learning.

"It will provide undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes in emerging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, semiconductor design & manufacturing, Cyber Security and Forensics, Internet of Things, Automotive Electronics, Machine Learning, Blockchain Technology etc. The curriculum would be developed with the industry and for the industry, ensuring that the workforce will acquire skills as per industry needs," the official statement said.

The newly introduced trains include Guwahati-New Bongaigaon daily passenger, Tinsukia-Naharlagun tri-weekly Express and Guwahati-North Lakhimpur Bi-weekly Jan Shatabdi Express.

A new FM Transmitter at Akashvani Kokrajhar was also inaugurated.

This will benefit more than 30 lakh residents in the region, including those in Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Chirang districts, providing them with access to clearer and high-quality FM broadcasts, an official statement noted.