Intercity Metro Rail line between DK, Udupi: State government asks BMRCL to prepare master plan
Mangaluru: With the aim of connecting Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts via a metro railway line, the state government has directed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to prepare a master plan, including a brief report and a detailed project report, for the 60-km stretch.
The government has told BMRCL to submit the master plan for Phase 1 of the 60-km intercity rail connectivity corridor between the two districts. The government has also communicated with the deputy commissioners of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi regarding the project.
Former secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Mohandas Hegde had written to Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Minister for Large and Medium Industries MB Patil, proposing a metro railway line between Mangaluru and Udupi. In his letters, he stated that such a metro line, covering major urban, semi-urban, and industrial zones, would enhance transportation while promoting economic and urban development.
The proposal for a metro railway line between the two neighbouring districts was supported by the KPCC member, citing congestion in the current transport system, which causes inconvenience to road users. A metro line, on the other hand, is expected to reduce travel time to less than an hour. Moreover, an intercity metro railway line is considered a suitable mode of transport for connecting Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, given the high population in both districts.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
