PM launches rail and road projects worth over Rs 3,250 cr in West Bengal
Malda (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled rail and road infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,250 crore, aimed at strengthening connectivity and accelerating development in West Bengal and the North East.
At a public function in Malda in north Bengal, the Prime Minister virtually flagged off four Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting New Jalpaiguri with Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli, and Alipurduar with SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai (Panvel).
Earlier, the Prime Minister flagged off the country’s most advanced and the first set of Vande Bharat sleeper trains between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) from Malda Town Railway Station.
The fully air-conditioned sleeper train is expected to cut travel time on the Howrah-Guwahati route by around 2.5 hours. Currently, it takes nearly 18 hours from Howrah to Guwahati by train.
Speaking at the inauguration function, Modi said the new projects, especially the new trains, will enable and empower the youth of the region.
“There was a time when we used to watch the developed foreign nations and dreamt of such modern trains in our country. Today that dream has come true,” the PM said.
“The new Vande Bharat sleeper train has connected the holy land of Maa Kali to that of Maa Kamakhya,” he added.
India has both modernised its transport facilities and made the country self-reliant, Modi said, adding that the country is currently making more railway coaches in India than in Europe or the US.
Speaking at the occasion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that India would soon be exporting Vande Bharat trains.
“Keeping in mind the food tastes of the region, passengers of the Vande Bharat trains departing from Kolkata would be served Bengali cuisine and those from Guwahati would be offered Assamese food,” he announced.
A statement issued by the PMO stated that the new projects will enhance affordable and reliable long-distance rail connectivity.
“These services will support the mobility needs of common citizens, students, migrant workers and traders, while strengthening inter-state economic and social linkages,” it said.
At the function, Modi laid the foundation stone of four major railway projects in the state, including the new rail line between Balurghat and Hili, next-generation freight maintenance facilities at New Jalpaiguri, upgradation of the Siliguri Loco Shed, and modernisation of Vande Bharat train maintenance facilities in Jalpaiguri district.
“These projects will strengthen passenger and freight operations, improve logistics efficiency in North Bengal, and generate employment opportunities in the region,” the statement said.
The PM also flagged off two new train services equipped with LHB coaches to facilitate connectivity of the region’s youth, students, and IT professionals to Bengaluru, a major IT hub of the country.
Modi laid the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and four-laning of the Dhupguri–Falakata section of National Highway-31D, a key project to improve regional road connectivity in North Bengal.
“These projects will play a vital role in building modern infrastructure creation and improved connectivity, strengthening the Eastern and North-Eastern regions as key growth engines of the nation,” the statement said.
On a two-day visit to eastern India, Modi is scheduled to criss-cross poll-bound Bengal and Assam, blending high-voltage political messaging with a clutch of infrastructure launches as the countdown to the 2026 assembly elections enters its decisive phase.
He is scheduled to return to the state on Sunday after holding a political rally in Malda on Saturday afternoon and then moving to Guwahati for his overnight stay there and spearheading a host of scheduled events the following morning.
On Sunday, the PM will address a keenly monitored political meeting from Singur in Hooghly district, the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement that propelled Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011 and reshaped the state’s political landscape.
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CBCI seeks repeal of ‘forcible conversion’ laws, cites rights violations
Bengaluru (PTI): The CBCI on Tuesday strongly demanded that the Centre repeal legislations it said were "inconsistent with religious freedom and the right to privacy", alleging that many innocent individuals were being incarcerated on "unfounded allegations of forcible conversions".
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India cited Article 25 of the Constitution, stating that it guarantees that "all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion."
The CBCI concluded its 37th general body meeting on February 10. During the week-long conclave, which began on February 4, it also elected Cardinal Poola Anthony, Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad, as its new president.
"As many innocent individuals are incarcerated on unfounded allegations of forcible religious conversions, we strongly demand the repeal of legislation that is inconsistent with religious freedom and the right to privacy," the CBCI said in a statement.
Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution to nation-building, the CBCI said his entire life was devoted to shaping "an India in which the people shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people."
The CBCI alleged that the denial of rights to Dalit Christians has continued for decades as an indirect form of discrimination, despite repeated appeals for equality and justice.
"We express our concern over the denial of rights to minorities, as such acts weaken the democratic fabric of our society," it said.
"While maintaining our commitment to eliminate any form of discrimination within ecclesial communities based on caste or language, we urge the government to ensure that no citizen is denied fundamental rights to equality and freedom," it said.
"At a time when freedom and human rights are increasingly disregarded, we reaffirm our faith in the Constitution of India, which envisions the country as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic, and secures to all its citizens justice, liberty, equality and fraternity," the statement added.
Pointing out that constitutional rights are often "unjustly restricted, particularly concerning the poor, the marginalised, Dalits and tribal people," the CBCI said it was important to advocate for the protection of fundamental rights for all individuals, regardless of caste, creed or language.
Encouraging youth to participate actively in public life and democratic processes, the CBCI said, "It has become the need of the hour that our youngsters, as exemplary Christians and responsible citizens of India, actively engage in politics as a vocation to service."
"In a context of polarisation and mistrust, we uphold the Church’s calling to foster dialogue, reconciliation and fraternity. The Christian faith has always inspired us to seek the path of forgiveness whenever we have been deprived of human dignity and rights," it added.
