Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has underscored the need for ushering in a connectivity revolution for the nation to become a developed one.
While the then Vajypayee government laid the foundation for it, the present government gave a big push to rail, road, river, air, mobile and digital connectivity than never before at a time when the world looked at India, one of the fastest growing economy, to make investments in a big way, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu noted while inaugurating an inter-city express train between Gudur and Vijayawada. By speeding up the connectivity revolution, developing India could become a developed nation early taking industrialisation and commerce to newer levels, he opined. In this context, the Vice-President said he was floored by small Estonia becoming a digital society. The Vice-President, who also dedicated to the nation the longest electrified tunnel in the country on the Venkatachalam-Obulavaripalle railway line between Cherlopalli and Raipur, said the priority for the railways was now to speed up Nadikudi-Srikalahasti railway line. He wanted the State government to expeditiously address problem relating to land acquisition to ensure speedy growth of the State hinterland.
The Gudur-Vijaywada express was timed in such a manner for people from Nellore and Prakasam districts to visit the State capital and return the same day after completing their works, he said, adding conceding the demand for extending the train up to Tirupati would not serve this purpose.
Direct Benefit Transfer
Describing the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme as the largest financial programme, he said benefits of 400 schemes were being transferred online to weed out ineligible persons knocking away with the benefits.
Taking a serious note of complaints from passengers with reserved tickets, especially women, that their seats were forcibly occupied by persons without proper ticket, Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi said “rowdyism on trains will not be tolerated.”
Stating that 400 stations were now WiFi-enabled, SCR General Manager Gajanan said all stations would have WiFi facility soon. Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy, MPs M. Srinivasulu Reddy, B. Durgaprasad, Adala Prabhakar Reddy, Gudur MLA V. Varaprasada Rao were among those present. The Vice-President also inaugurated a two-wheeler training centre promoted by the Hero Corp and Swarna Bharat Trust.
Published - September 01, 2019 11:38 pm IST
