In a big push to Punjab's railway connectivity, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Tuesday announced the construction of a new railway line between Rajpura and Mohali. Along with the new line, the ministers also revealed plans for a Vande Bharat Express connecting Firozpur Cantt, Bathinda, Patiala, and Delhi. The proposed train is expected to provide a modern and faster travel option for passengers across key cities of Punjab and the national capital.
Railway investment in Punjab
As per the Union Railway Minister, the new Rajpura-Mohali railway line in Punjab will cost around Rs 443 crore, spanning 18 km. Vaishnaw highlighted a significant increase in railway investment in Punjab from Rs 225 crore during 2009-14 to Rs 5,421 crore now. He expressed special thanks to MoS Ravneet Bittu and said the minister deserves full credit for the project's development. A day earlier, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw slammed the Opposition parties for criticising the Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms.
Comparing the taxes on household items under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime to the taxes after the GST cut, he said that the industries and the MSMEs were under the "tax terror" before 2014. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, he said, "The GST reforms have been implemented today. A while ago, I was in a market in RK Puram, and people buying goods there also said that they were happy."
"Under the UPA, there was a tax terror on industries and MSMEs. The web of several taxes was unified into GST. When GST was widely accepted, the next-generation reforms were brought in. Step by step, the nation has reached a good position. I thank Prime Minister Modi and the Finance Minister for the reforms," he added.
Vaishnaw highlights major tax cuts on essentials vs UPA era
The Union Minister noted that the taxes on cement, sanitary pads, and footwear have significantly reduced as compared to the UPA government. "The Opposition is unhappy. In their time, there were only talks and no work. UPA taxed cement at 30 per cent. How would a commoner fulfil their dream of building a house? Now it is at 18 per cent... The UPA taxed sanitary pads at 13 per cent, and now they have zero tax. The paint used on houses was taxed at 30 per cent; it is 18 per cent now. Tax on footwear is now 5 per cent as compared to 18 per cent during the UPA," Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
