Katra-Amritsar Vande Bharat to boost religious tourism, trade: Ravneet Singh Bittu
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said the train would provide pilgrims and tourists with fast and comfortable access to sacred and historic destinations such as Harmandir Sahib, Durgiana Temple, Mata Vaishno Devi, and Wagah border. "It will not only boost religious tourism, but strengthen economy, create employment, and deepen people-to-people ties between the two regions," he added.
Bittu said the new train would also benefit passengers boarding from Pathankot, Jalandhar, and Beas.
Bittu said Punjab was now "poised for a major transformation in rail infrastructure". "Several new projects will soon commence, including the development of new rail lines, improved connectivity, construction of overbridges, and the redevelopment of railway stations," Bittu added.
He added, "The projects already in progress will be expedited and completed swiftly."
Stay updated with the latest local news from your
city
on
Times of India
(TOI). Check upcoming
bank holidays
,
public holidays
, and current
gold rates
and
silver prices
in your area.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
13 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Will explore more, no compromise on farmers' interests: Shivraj on tariffs
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his determination to protect the interests of farmers in the wake of tariff pressures and said it has been decided that there will be no compromise with the interests of the farming community. Speaking at an event in Subrahmanyam Hall in New Delhi, Chouhan emphasised that India's population is its strength and the country will also find new markets. In a veiled reference to the United States imposing 50 per cent tariff on India and apparent pressure in trade talks for greater access to India's agriculture and dairy sectors, Chouhan said there is vast difference in the size of landholdings and agricultural practices and cost of production in the two countries. "The whole country was apprehensive, know how much land they hold: 10,000 hectares, 15,000 hectares. Meanwhile, our farmers have land ranging from one acre to three acres, with many having just half an acre. We have a little land. Is this competition fair? You use GM seeds. There are different kinds of perceptions about our GM. The whole country was apprehensive, what will happen? They want their soybean to come here, their wheat, maize, rice," the Agriculture Minister said. "The cost of production per hectare is less there because GM seeds and other things are used, so the yield is more and the cost is less. The cost of production per hectare here is much higher than there, and if it had come openly, the prices of the crops here would have fallen further in our country. Where would the farmer go? Therefore, it was decided that no matter what happens, there will be no compromise with the interests of the farmer," he added. Chouhan referred to PM Modi's remarks that no matter how much loss he personally incurs, there will be no compromise with interests of farmers. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi said recently that no matter how much loss I personally incur, but the interests of farmers will not be compromised. This is the voice of India, voice of brothers, be assured. If there is some difficutly, we will see. We will find new markets, and India itself is such a big market that our things will be consumed here. The population of the whole of Europe is 50 crore, America's is 30 crore, our population of 144 crore is not our weakness; it is our strength. That is why this decision was taken. It is also testing time, we don't have budge, bow..." Chouhan said. US imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods last month and increased it to 50 per cent over import of Russian oil. Chouhan also spoke of the government's determination to provide more resources to agriculture. Chouhan also dismissed nuclear sabre-rattling by Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and said India has decided to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack. "Today, as a farmer, I want to congratulate our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I want to thank him. The first thing is the Indus Water Treaty. Now the neighbour is giving threats from America. India is not going to be afraid of any threat. The whole world should hear that the Indus Treaty has been cancelled, and our water will be used for the farmers. This is Modi ji's decision. Such an unjust treaty, the rivers, land, water are ours and the canal will be built in Pakistan. We gave 80% of the water, and Nehru ji also gave money to build the canal there; this was a sin. Now this will not be allowed at any cost; our water will be used for our own purposes," Chouhan said. Referring to Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism against India, Chouhan said PM Modi has made it clear that "blood and water cannot flow together". He said the government would soon bring in a new law to take strict action against those producing fake fertilisers and chemicals. He said various schemes for farmers' welfare are being advanced on priority and digital payment of insurance amounts was made to farmers on Monday from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. The Union Minister highlighted PM Modi's 'Nation First' resolve and emphasized that the Prime Minister has always taken strong, bold, nation-centric decisions, for which the country will forever remain indebted.
Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
India's population is its strength, will tap new markets: Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan on Trump tariffs
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his determination to protect the interests of farmers despite tariff pressure from the Donald Trump administration in the US. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said it has been decided that there will be no compromise with the interests of the farming community. Speaking at an event in Subrahmanyam Hall in New Delhi, Chouhan emphasised that India's population is its strength and the country will also find new markets. In a veiled reference to the Trump administration imposing 50 per cent tariff on India and apparent pressure in trade talks for greater access to India's agriculture and dairy sectors, Chouhan said there is vast difference in the size of landholdings and agricultural practices and cost of production in the two countries. "The whole country was apprehensive, know how much land they hold: 10,000 hectares, 15,000 hectares. Meanwhile, our farmers have land ranging from one acre to three acres, with many having just half an acre. We have a little land. Is this competition fair? You use GM seeds. There are different kinds of perceptions about our GM. The whole country was apprehensive, what will happen? They want their soybean to come here, their wheat, maize, rice," the Agriculture Minister said. "The cost of production per hectare is less there because GM seeds and other things are used, so the yield is more and the cost is less. The cost of production per hectare here is much higher than there, and if it had come openly, the prices of the crops here would have fallen further in our country. Where would the farmer go? Therefore, it was decided that no matter what happens, there will be no compromise with the interests of the farmer," he added. Chouhan referred to PM Modi's remarks that he will not compromise the interests of farmers no matter how much loss he personally incurs. 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi said recently that no matter how much loss I personally incur, but the interests of farmers will not be compromised. This is the voice of India, the voice of farmers,' the minister said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, 7 August, that India will never compromise on the interests of farmers and fishermen, even if that means personally paying a heavy price for it. PM Narendra Modi's remarks are seen as a veiled response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats on India. Farmer brothers, be assured, Chouhan said. "If there is some difficutly, we will see. We will find new markets, and India itself is such a big market that our things will be consumed here. The population of the whole of Europe is 50 crore, America's is 30 crore, our population of 144 crore is not our weakness; it is our strength. That is why this decision was taken. It is also testing time, we don't have budge, bow..." he said. The US imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods last month and increased them to 50 per cent on the import of Russian oil. Chouhan also said the government would soon introduce a new law to punish those producing fake fertilisers and chemicals. He said various schemes for farmers' welfare are being advanced on priority and digital payment of insurance amounts was made to farmers on Monday from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. No matter what happens, there will be no compromise with the interests of the farmer. The Union Minister highlighted PM Modi's 'Nation First' resolve and emphasised that the Prime Minister has always taken strong, bold, nation-centric decisions, for which the country will forever remain indebted.
Hans India
13 minutes ago
- Hans India
Naidu, Lokesh thank Modi
Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his satisfaction with the Union Cabinet's decision to allocate a semiconductor unit to Andhra Pradesh. He extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government for the decision. The Chief Minister conveyed his appreciation during a phone call with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The semiconductor unit will be set up by Advanced System in Package (ASIP) Technologies in AP in collaboration with APACT Co Ltd, South Korea. The company will produce semiconductors for a wide range of products, including mobile phones, set-top boxes, automotive ECUs, and home electronic appliances. Meanwhile, Minister of HR and IT Nara Lokesh also thanked PM Modi for sanctioning a semiconductor manufacturing unit. 'Semiconductor manufacturing comes to AP, driven by a double engine sarkar! I am grateful to the Prime Minister for sanctioning a semiconductor manufacturing facility to AP as part of a Rs 4,600 crore budgetary allocation,' said Lokesh in a post on X.
