2,000 km of rail network to be brought under indigenous technology KAWACH, says Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi: As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that 2,000 km of the rail network will be brought under the indigenous world-class technology KAWACH.

“As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of rail network will be brought under the indigenous world-class technology KAWACH, for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23,” Sitharaman said while presenting her fourth Budget in the Parliament.

The Finance Minister further said that 400 new generation Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years.

The national highways network will be expanded by 25,000 km in 2022-23, the Union Finance Minister also announced.

“PM Gati Shakti Master Plan for Expressways will be formulated in 2022-23, to facilitate faster movement of people and goods. The national highways network will be expanded by 25,000 km in 2022-23. Rs 20,000 crore to be mobilized to complement public resources,” she said.

Sitharaman also said that data exchange among all-mode operators will be brought on Unified Logistics Interface Platform, designed for Application Programming Interface (API).

“This will enable efficient movement of goods, reduce logistics costs and time, assist just-in-time inventory management and eliminate tedious documentation,” she said.

The Finance Minister further announced that contracts for the implementation of Multimodal Logistics Parks at four locations through PPP (Public-Private Partnerships) Mode will be awarded in 2022-23.

“Indian Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers, and small and medium enterprises,” she said.