Former Union Minister and MP from Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency Anurag Thakur has expressed gratitude to the Central Government for giving Rs 2,698 crore to Himachal Pradesh for expansion of railway projects in the state.

In a statement on Thursday, he said that this will help in strengthening the railway network of Himachal Pradesh and in completing the existing projects soon.

Thakur said: “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has left no stone unturned to ensure better connectivity in Himachal Pradesh as well. Be it road, rail or air service, the Modi government has given many gifts to Himachal in the last 10 years.”

“During the decade of the Modi government, special attention has been paid to railways in Himachal in every budget and this time too, in the Union Budget 2024-25, an amount of Rs 2,698 crore has been allocated to Himachal Pradesh for railway expansion.”

“During Congress-led UPA government, Himachal used to get only Rs 108 crore per year. Modi has shown benevolence and increased by more than 25 times, giving impetus to rail projects in Himachal,” he claimed.

He further said, “An amount of Rs. 1700 crore has been released in this budget for the strategically important Bhanupali-Leh line. Along with this, the release of Rs 300 crore for Chandigarh Baddi rail line and Rs 500 crore for Nangal Dam Talwara shows that the central government is committed to the interests of Himachal and Himachalis.”

In the last 10 years, the Modi government has connected Himachal Pradesh to the big cities of the country, he said, adding that today many big cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore, Haridwar, Mathura, Vrindavan, Nanded Sahib, Jodhpur, Sabarmati, Agra, Ujjain, Chandigarh are directly connected to the rail network from Himachal.

Many big cities are going to be connected in the coming days, he added.

This increase in rail facilities is benefiting the common people as well as the soldiers and devotees the most, said Thakur.

“Prime Minister gifted the country’s fourth Vande Bharat train to Himachal for which Modi himself came to Una for its inauguration. India’s most modern train has started running in Himachal only because of the BJP. The Modi government is working with full seriousness on everything from running new trains to necessary infrastructure development so that rail services are expanded in Himachal Pradesh.”

Highlighting the good railway connectivity to Una district in his parliamentary constituency, Thakur said, “From the year 2014 to March 2019, the work of Amb-Andaura, Chintpurni Marg and Daulatpur Chowk railway station was completed during the time of Modi government. Today, a total of 13 trains from Una and Amb Andaura railway stations connect this district to different parts of the country. Sabarmati railway station also has a daily train from Una.”