Poonam Nath

Assam: Gati Shakti terminals, new trains announced in state-Ashwini Vaishnaw

Digital Desk: Union Minister of Railways, Electronics, and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has announces six additional Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals, an electronics manufacturing sector, and the launch of new trains in Assam to boost the region's economic growth.

The initiatives are part of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit, which was hosted in Guwahati.

The new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals will open in Chaygaon, New Bongaigaon, Bihara, Hilara, Baihata, and Rangjuli, significantly improving the region's railway network.

To improve connectivity, he stated that one Vande Bharat Express is already functioning in the Northeast.

While another Vande Bharat Express would be launched soon to connect Guwahati and Agartala, the two Amrit Bharat trains (Guwahati-Delhi and Guwahati-Chennai) will also begin operations this year, he stated.

A railway engine midlife remanufacturing facility would also be established in Lumding, as well as a Wagon Workshop in Bashbari, Bodoland, for Rs 300 crore, according to the minister.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, India's Union Minister, announced plans to establish a Greenfield Electronic Manufacturing Cluster in Bongora, Kamrup, and promoted the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) to a Deemed-to-be University.

He also announced plans to build a new semiconductor plant in Assam and renovate Guwahati Railway Station into an IT hub. The North East is dubbed the "New Engine" of Indian development, and the government intends to strengthen connections between Assam and Bhutan.

The state is also projected to play a significant role in the global semiconductor ecosystem.