The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved eight projects of Ministry of Railways with a total estimated cost of 24 thousand 657 crore rupees. Briefing media in New Delhi after the meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, the projects cover 14 districts in Seven States. The States are Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal. He said, aspirational districts and tribal areas will get a major push of development through these projects. He said, the projects include Gunupur-Therubali New Railway Line route and Junagarh-Nabrangpur line in Odisha, Malkangiri-Pandurangapuram line in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Buramara-Chakulia rail route in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.

The Minister said that Bikramshila-Katareah rail route is related to Bihar while Jalna-Jalgaon project in Maharashtra will provide rail connectivity to Ajanta Caves, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agricultural products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel and cement. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of a magnitude of 143 Million Tonnes Per Annum. Railways being environment-friendly and energy-efficient modes of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics costs of the country.