Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari said the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor, whose two packages were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, will open new opportunities for the economic development of her entire state, especially its western border districts.
Deputy CM Diya Kumari, who attended the programme via video-conferencing, said that the districts of Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer, and Jalore have direct connectivity with the major industrial cities of Punjab and Gujarat.
This will boost tourism and exports, along with industrial development and create new employment opportunities, she said, adding that with the increase in hotels, restaurants and other business activities along the route, local people will get employment and their income will increase.
She said that it is the result of the far-reaching thinking of Prime Minister Modi and Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari that the country's road network has expanded very rapidly in the last 10 years.
The state has benefited from many important national highway projects including the Delhi-Mumbai Vadodara Expressway and the Amritsar-Jamnagar Corridor. Thanking the Prime Minister and the Union Road Transport Minister for these projects, she said: "Good roads are the basic foundation of the development of any country. To make the country's infrastructure world-class, a provision of Rs 11.11 lakh crore has been made in the Union Budget. In the state too, the double-engine government is working with a commitment to rapid development. An additional provision of Rs 1, 500 crore has been made in the State Road Fund in the budget.”
The 917-km long 6-lane access-controlled Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor is being developed at a cost of approximately Rs 22, 500 crore, connecting Amritsar to the port city of Jamnagar. As much as 637 km of it is passing through Hanumangarh, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer, and Jalore districts of the state. This project has 23 packages in Rajasthan.
After completion of work, 18 packages of 502 km length have been dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister. On Monday, the Prime Minister inaugurated 2 packages (Dabwali, Sirsa-Pilibanga, Hanumangarh) of this project - 53 km in length and costing Rs 1, 799 crore.