'India infra push high amid global economic turmoil'

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA Modi on Saturday said due to the Covid pandemic and the continuing Russia-Ukraine war, the world was witnessing ups and downs in the economy, but amid this uncertainty, India was one of the countries that was investing record amount on infrastructure modernisation.

He said ₹10 lakh crore was allotted for infrastructure modernisation in this year's Union budget.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express train between Secunderabad and Tirupati at the Secunderabad Railway station here. Secunderabad is the headquarters of South Central Railway zone.

The Vande Bharat train will reduce the travel time between Secunderabad and Tirupati in the neighbouring state by almost three and half hours and will be particularly beneficial to pilgrims. The indigenous semi-high-speed train is the second Vande Bharat train to be operated between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

On January 15, Modi had virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat train service between Secunderabad and the port city of Visakhapatnam in AP, which was the first such service connecting the two Telugu-speaking states.

Modi said the new Vande Bharat train service, which was flagged off from Secunderabad to Tirupati, links the city of the temple of Goddess Bhagya Lakshmi (Hyderabad) with the abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara in Tirupati. India's symbol of pride on rail tracks, the Vande Bharat is connecting technology and tourism across the nation, he said.

Prior to flagging off the Vande Bharat Express, Modi carried out a brief inspection of the train and interacted with school students and crew members (loco pilot).

Addressing the gathering, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, railways is witnessing all-round development with world-class stations, trains, and fast progress in completion of new lines, doubling, and electrification projects.