VADODARA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a jibe at the opposition while highlighting the benefits of double-stack container freight trains, referring to critics as the “naraaz fufa” who would question the impact of the Dedicated Freight Corridor on truck drivers.
PM Modi said a double-stack container freight train recently operated from JNPT in Mumbai to Vadodara, carrying cargo equivalent to more than 250 trucks in a single trip.
Addressing the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event in Vadodara, PM Modi said, “At the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “Recently, a double-stack container freight train was operated from JNPT (Mumbai) to Vadodara meaning the train ran with one container stacked on top of another. With this single trip, the volume of cargo transported from Mumbai to Vadodara was equivalent to that of over 250 trucks.”
“Now, enter the ‘naraaz fufa’ figure the one who will immediately start complaining: “What about the truck drivers? Where will the trucks go? What will happen to those who bought trucks?” Well, ‘fufa’ has found something to grumble about now,” he said.
PM Modi also recalled the status of the Dedicated Freight Corridor before 2014 and said that not even one kilometre of the project had been completed during the previous government’s seven to eight years.
He said the project was accelerated after 2014, drawing on the experience and lessons he had gained in Gujarat.
“In 2014, the people of Vadodara, Gujarat, and the country sent me from Gujarat to Delhi. The previous government had been in power until then. You sent me to Delhi, and their farewell took place. And the truth was this.. young friends, please listen carefully and remember this… in those seven to eight years, not even one kilometre of the freight corridor could be completed,” Prime Minister said.
“If the country had been run according to their approach, who knows, even three or four generations after you, this work would still not have been completed. This was the state of a project that was supposed to transform India’s logistics ecosystem. After 2014, the education and training I had received from you, the lessons this land had taught me, and everything I had learned from you… I carried all those lessons with me to Delhi and as soon as we reached there, we began working to accelerate this project,” he further said.
Prime Minister said the completion of the Dedicated Freight Corridor has transformed India’s transportation sector, with the Eastern and Western corridors emerging as the backbone of the country’s trade and commerce.
He said the Dedicated Freight Corridor has significantly improved the speed and efficiency of freight transportation, reducing travel time, fuel consumption and logistics costs while benefiting the environment.
“Today, the work on the 2,800-kilometre corridor has been successfully completed. The Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors are now becoming the backbone of the nation’s trade and commerce. The Dedicated Freight Corridor is a lifeline for a rapidly developing India; it has transformed the country’s transportation sector. Previously, freight trains shared the same tracks as passenger trains, resulting in slow speeds for both travel and transport. However, the Dedicated Freight Corridor has changed this scenario,” PM Modi said.
“Today, more than 430 freight trains operate daily on the Eastern and Western corridors. A freight train that once took 6.5 hours to cover 100 kilometres can now cover the same distance in less than half that time. A journey that typically takes 30 hours by truck is completed in just ten to 12 hours on the Dedicated Freight Corridor. Consequently, the operation of freight trains on this corridor saves fuel for both trucks and trains, reduces freight costs, saves time, and benefits the environment,” he said.
Further, the Prime Minister said the government is moving towards providing free online coaching by top teachers to students preparing for competitive exams, aimed at reducing the financial burden on poor and middle-class families.
“The world is changing rapidly, and along with it, the needs of the world are changing too. Similarly, our methods and ways of learning and education are evolving as well. Earlier, the entire focus used to be solely on degrees, but now, alongside degrees, the focus is also on skills. The importance of skills is growing… Every year, a significant portion of the earnings of our middle-class families is spent on coaching for these children,” PM Modi said.
“Our endeavor is to ensure that the families of such children from poor and middle-class backgrounds can save their hard-earned money. Therefore, the government is now moving forward toward providing a free online coaching system to students, delivered by the best teachers in India. The youth who are preparing will now have their coaching taken care of by the government itself,” he said.
PM Modi laid foundation stones and inaugurated development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore, including three key sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), railway projects, highway projects and Gujarat government projects.
