Indian Railways' broad gauge network connects capitals of Assam, Arunachal, Tripura

Indian Railways has connected the capitals of North Eastern states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura by broad gauge and the plans to connect rest of other state capitals by 2020 except Sikkim, said Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi Channabasappa in the Rajya Sabha today, while replying to a question. Further, he said: 

1. In the case of Sikkim, a new line work has been sanctioned up to Rangpo in the first phase.

2. On the question if the target of connecting state capitals of NE states by 2020 would be met, he said the speed of execution is good, though completion of projects is related to the availability of land.

3. He told the Upper House that the average annual expenditure in new line/gauge conversion/doubling infrastructure projects during 2014-19 was Rs 25,894 crore per year as against Rs 11,527 crore per year during 2009-14, up around 125 per cent.

4. The average allotment per year for North Eastern states was Rs 2,121 crore per year from 2009-14. However, it increased 161 per cent to Rs 5,531 crore per year for this region during 2014-19.

5. Replying to a question on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Minister of Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar, however, said the budget allocation under the scheme were on an increasing trend. 
6. Notably, the budget for MGNREGS has increased to Rs 61,830.09 crore during 2018-19 from Rs 48,220.26 crore during 2016-17.

7. Tomar also assured members that there would be no shortage of funds for the scheme, as the centre has been notifying wage rates from 2011-12 onwards. Wage rates differ from state to state.