The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved three development projects, including the extension of the Pune Metro, a revised rehabilitation plan for displaced families of the Jharia coalfields in Jharkhand, and the establishment of the International Potato Centre’s regional centre in Agra.
Addressing a press conference, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Pune currently has 33.3km of operational metro lines, with another 33km under construction. The ₹3,626 crore project for Pune Metro Line Phase 2 will extend the metro route by 12.75km, adding 13 new stations to boost the east-west connectivity across the city.
Two elevated corridors, Vanaz to Chandani Chowk and Ramwadi to Wagholi, as extensions of the existing Vanaz-Ramwadi line are aimed at linking key suburbs, IT hubs, and transport nodes across the city.
“Systematic efforts have been made to modernise urban transport in Pune,” Vaishnaw said, adding that metro connectivity, which was limited to just five cities before 2014, has now expanded to 24 cities, with daily ridership rising from 2.8 million to 11 million.
The Centre also approved the ₹5,940 crore revised master plan to deal with the rehabilitation of the affected families in Jharia coalfield fire in Jharkhand.
{{/usCountry}}The Centre also approved the ₹5,940 crore revised master plan to deal with the rehabilitation of the affected families in Jharia coalfield fire in Jharkhand.
{{/usCountry}}“The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the revised Jharia Master Plan (JMP) for addressing issues related to fire, land subsidence and the rehabilitation of affected families in the Jharia coalfield,” a statement issued by the government said.
The government also cleared a proposal to set up the South Asia regional research centre of the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Agra entailing financial support of ₹111.5 crore.
The objective of this investment is to increase food and nutrition security, farmers’ income, and job creation by improving potato and sweet potato productivity, post-harvest management and value-addition, a government statement said.
Vaishnaw said that research at the regional centre will focus on seed production, pest management, sustainable production, and training of farmers.The Uttar Pradesh government has already allocated 10 acres for the research centre. Headquartered in Lima, Peru, the International Potato Center (CIP) focuses on research and development of potato, sweet potato and Andean roots and tubers.