PM’s speech at flagging off two Vande Bharat Trains from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 10 Feb, 2023

Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! There would be a sweeping revolution in the railway sector. Today, I am extremely elated to dedicate the ninth and tenth Vande Bharat trains to the nation. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Eknath ji, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra ji, my cabinet colleagues, ministers from Maharashtra government, all MPs, MLAs, all other dignitaries, brothers and sisters! Today is a big day for Indian Railways, especially for modern connectivity of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Today, for the first time, two Vande Bharat trains have been flagged off simultaneously. These Vande Bharat trains will connect the economic centres of the country like Mumbai and Pune with the major spiritual centres. With this, college goers, office goers and businessmen, farmers and devotees will all be facilitated. These are going to give a massive boost to tourism and pilgrimage in Maharashtra. Be it visiting Sai Baba in Shirdi, or Ram Kund in Nashik, or visiting Trimbakeshwar and Panchvati area, everything is going to be very easy with the new Vande Bharat train. Similarly, with the Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat train, the darshan of Vitthal-Rakhumai of Pandharpur, Siddheshwar Temple of Solapur, Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, or Aai Tuljabhavani, will now become more easily accessible to everyone. And I know what a divine experience the people are going to have of natural beauty when the Vande Bharat train passes through Sahyadri Ghat! I congratulate the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra for these new Vande Bharat trains. Friends, Vande Bharat train is a great image of today’s modern India. This is a reflection of both India’s speed and scale. You can see how fast the country is launching Vande Bharat trains. So far 10 such trains have started running across the country. Today, 108 districts of 17 states of the country have been connected with Vande Bharat Express. I remember, there was a time when MPs used to write letters to make arrangements for the train to stop at stations in their areas for one or two minutes. Now, whenever MPs from all over the country meet, they press for this train; they demand that Vande Bharat trains are run there too. This is the craze for Vande Bharat trains today. Friends, I am glad that today projects to make lives easier for the people of Mumbai have also started here. The ‘elevated corridor’ which was inaugurated today will fulfil the need for East-West connectivity in Mumbai. The people of Mumbai had been waiting for this for a long time. Everyday more than 2 lakh vehicles will be able to pass through this corridor and people’s time will also be saved. Now the connectivity of eastern and western sub-urban areas has also improved due to the same. Kurar underpass is also very important in itself. I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Mumbaikars on the completion of these projects. Friends, India of the 21st century has to improve its public transport system very fast. The faster our public transport system becomes modern, the better the ease of living of the citizens of the country will be and their quality of life will also improve. With this thinking, today modern trains are being run in the country, metro is being expanded, new airports and ports are being built. This spirit has also been strengthened in the country’s budget that was announced a few days ago. And our Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have also praised it a lot. For the first time in the history of India, Rs 10 lakh crore have been allocated only for the development of infrastructure. This is 5 times more than the past 9 years. In this, the share of Railways is about Rs 2.5 lakh crore. There has been a historic increase in the rail budget for Maharashtra as well. I am sure that with the double efforts of the double engine government, connectivity in Maharashtra will become faster and even more modernized. Friends, Every rupee invested on infrastructure creates new employment opportunities. The cement, sand, iron, machines used in construction, and every industry related to these sectors gets a boost. The middle class engaged in business also benefits from this and the poor get employment. Due to this, engineers get jobs, labourers get jobs. That is, when the infrastructure is in the process of being built, everyone earns and when it is ready, it further opens up the way for new industries and new businesses. Brothers & Sisters, I want to tell the people of Mumbai in particular about how the middle class has been strengthened in this budget. Whether it is the salaried class or the middle class earning from business, this budget has made both of the classes happy. Just look at the situation before 2014; any person who earned more than Rs 2 lakh in a year was taxed. The BJP government earlier had given a tax exemption on incomes up to Rs 5 lakh. It has now increased it to Rs 7 lakh in this budget. Today, the UPA government used to charge 20 percent tax on the income over which the middle-class family has to pay zero tax now. Now those young friends who have got a new job, whose monthly income is up to Rs 60-65 thousand will now be able to invest more. The government, which works in the interest of the poor and the middle class, takes such decisions. Friends, I have complete confidence that this budget, which empowers the spirit of ‘Sabka Vikas se Sabka Prayas’ will give an impetus to every family. It will encourage all of us more to build a developed India. Once again, heartiest congratulations to the entire Maharashtra including Mumbai for the budget and new trains. My best wishes to you! Thank you!