The Centre gave its green signal for investments worth more than Rs.27,000 crore in new highways and railway lines across the country to boost economic growth. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved infrastructure projects worth Rs.27,328 crore for expansion of railway lines in 11 states and development of 1,120 km national highways in five states. “The Cabinet decisions are a continuation of the government’s commitment to support infrastructure development particularly expanding the national highways beyond the existing ones,” said Manish Agarwal, partner and leader, infrastructure, PwC India. The construction of these railway lines is expected to be completed in four to six years. As a part of the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP), the government approved constructing 1,120 km national highways in Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan and West Bengal with World Bank assistance.

Source: The Hindu August 24, 2016 17:26 UTC