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PM dedicates Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project

Published By : Admin | June 19, 2022 | 10:30 IST
Main Tunnel and five underpasses dedicated as an integral part of Pragati Maidan Redevelopment Project
“This is a New India that solves the problems, takes new pledges and works tirelessly to realize those pledges”
“This project is part of the campaign to transform Pragti Maidan according to the needs of the 21st Century”
“The Government of India is working continuously for state of the art facilities, exhibition halls for world class events in the capital of the country”
“Modern infrastructure developed by the central government is changing the picture of Delhi and Making it modern. This change in picture is a medium of changing destiny also”
“Focus on modernization of infrastructure is driven by increasing ease of living for the common people”
“Delhi is emerging as one of the best connected capitals of the world”
“GatiShakti National Master Plan is a medium of Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the main tunnel and five underpasses of Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project today. The Integrated Transit Corridor project is an integral part of Pragati Maidan Redevelopment Project. Union Ministers Shri Piyush Goyal, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Shri Som Prakash, Smt Anupriya Patel and Shri Kaushal Kishore were among those present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister called the project a big gift from the central government to the people of Delhi. He recalled the enormity of the challenge in completing the project due to the traffic congestion and the pandemic. He credited the new work culture of New India and workers and engineers for completing the project. “This is a New India that solves the problems, takes new pledges and works tirelessly to realize those pledges”, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that this tunnel is part of the campaign to transform Pragti Maidan according to the needs of the 21st Century. He lamented the fact that despite changing India, Pragti Maidan which was created to showcase India got lagged behind due to lack of initiative and politics. “Unfortunately there was not much ‘Pragati’ (progress) of the Pragati Maidan”, he said. Despite a lot of fanfare and publicity earlier, this was not done. “The Government of India is working continuously for state of the art facilities, exhibition halls for world class events in the capital of the country”, he added by talking about such establishments like the International Convention and Expo Centre in Dwarka and the redevelopment project in Pragati Maidan. “Modern infrastructure developed by the central government is changing the picture of Delhi and Making it modern.

This change in picture is a medium of changing destiny also”, he said. This focus on modernization of infrastructure is driven by increasing ease of living for the common people. He also reiterated the need for environment sensitive and climate conscious infrastructure development. The Prime Minister gave the example of New Defence Office Complex at the Africa Avenue and Kasturba Gandhi Road as an illustration for the attitude of dealing proactively with long pending problems, environment friendly construction and care for those who are working for the country. He also expressed satisfaction that the Central Vista project is moving rapidly and said that in the coming days the capital of India will be a topic of discussion globally and a matter of pride for Indians.

The Prime Minister talked about the great benefits that will accrue from the integrated corridor in terms of saving of time and fuel, 55 lakh litre as per one estimate, and also decongestion of traffic leading to environmental dividend, equivalent to planting 5 lakh trees. He said these permanent solutions to enhance ease of living are the need of the hour. The Prime Minister said “in the last 8 years, we have taken unprecedented steps to solve the problems of Delhi-NCR. In the last 8 years, the metro service in Delhi-NCR has expanded from 193 km to 400 km, more than double.” He asked people to develop a habit of using the metro and public transport. Similarly Eastern and Western Peripheral expressway, Delhi-Meerut expressway have helped citizens of Delhi a great deal. Referring to his conversations with the citizens and other stakeholders at the Kashi railway station, the Prime Minister said that there is a great change in the mindset of the common man and the government is making all the effort to keep working according to that change.

He pointed out that Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Delhi-Amritsar Expressway, Delhi-Chandigarh Expressway and Delhi-Jaipur Expressway are making Delhi one of the best connected capitals of the world. He also talked of Delhi Meerut Rapid rail system made by indigenous technology as part of the measures that are cementing Delhi’s identity as capital of India and will benefit the professionals, common people, students, youth, School and office going commuters, taxi- auto drivers and business community.

The Prime Minister said that the country is creating multimodal connectivity through the vision of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. PM GatiShakti National Master Plan is a medium of Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas, he said. The Prime MInister conveyed his happiness about the adoption of GatiShakti by states as he was briefed in the recent Chief Secretary Conference in Dharamshala. He emphasized that during the ‘Amrit Kaal’, “it is necessary to expand the scope of metro cities of the country and work with better planning in Tier-2, Tier-3 cities. For India's rapid development in the coming 25 years, we need cities to be made green, clean and friendly.” The Prime Minister said “if we take urbanization as an opportunity rather than a challenge, then it will contribute to the manifold development of the country.”

For the first time, the Prime Minister emphasized that any government is giving importance to urban planning on such a large scale. Work is being done to provide better facilities to everyone, from the urban poor to the urban middle class. In the last 8 years pucca houses to more than 1 crore 70 lakh urban poor have been ensured. Lakhs of middle class families have also been given help for construction of their house. If the focus is on modern public transport in cities, then CNG based mobility and the infrastructure of electric mobility is also being prioritized. The FAME scheme of the central government is a good example of this, the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister, who walked the tunnel leaving the vehicle, said that the artwork in the tunnel has shown value addition beyond the planned work and is a great study centre of Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat. He said, perhaps, this is among the longest art galleries anywhere in the world. He suggested that it may be explored that on Sundays for a few hours the tunnel should be kept exclusively for school children and pedestrians to appreciate the artwork and the spirit that it embodies.

Details of the Project:

The Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project has been built at a cost of more than Rs. 920 crore, entirely funded by the Central Government. It is aimed to provide hassle free and smooth access to the new world class exhibition and convention centre being developed at Pragati Maidan, thereby facilitating easy participation of exhibitors and visitors in the programmes being held at Pragati Maidan.

The impact of the project, however, will be much beyond Pragati Maidan as it will ensure hassle-free vehicular movement, helping save time and cost of commuters in a big way. It is part of the overarching vision of the government to ensure ease of living for people through transforming urban infrastructure.

The main Tunnel connects Ring Road with India Gate via Purana Qila Road passing through Pragati Maidan. The six lane divided Tunnel has multiple purposes, including access to the huge basement parking of Pragati Maidan. A unique component of the Tunnel is that two cross tunnels below the main tunnel road have been constructed in order to facilitate movement of the traffic from either side of the parking lot.

It is equipped with the latest global standard facilities for smooth movement of traffic such as smart fire management, modern ventilation and automated drainage, digitally controlled CCTV and Public Announcement system inside the Tunnel.

This long-awaited Tunnel will serve as an alternative route to Bhairon Marg, which is running much beyond its carriage capacity and is expected to take more than half of the traffic load of Bhairon Marg.

 

Along with the tunnel, there will be six underpasses – four on Mathura Road, one on Bhairon Marg and one on the intersection of Ring Road and Bhairon Marg.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Delhi, earlier today. The three-day Conference was held in Pusa, Delhi from 26 to 28 December, 2025.

Prime Minister observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister emphasised that Human Capital comprising knowledge, skills, health and capabilities is the fundamental driver of economic growth and social progress and must be developed through a coordinated Whole-of-Government approach.

The Conference included discussions around the overarching theme of ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’. Highlighting India's demographic advantage, the Prime Minister stated that nearly 70 percent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate India's journey towards Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister said that India has boarded the “Reform Express”, driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government’s key priority. Prime Minister noted that the Conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and moving steadily towards becoming a major global economic power.

He further observed that Viksit Bharat is synonymous with quality and excellence and urged all stakeholders to move beyond average outcomes. Emphasising quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, the Prime Minister stated that the label "Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.

Prime Minister emphasised the need to strengthen Aatmanirbharta, stating that India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthen our commitment to 'Zero Effect, Zero Defect.’ He urged the Centre and States to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister emphasised the need to map skill demand at the State and global levels to better design skill development strategies. In higher education too, he suggested that there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high quality talent.

For livelihoods of youth, Prime Minister observed that tourism can play a huge role. He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with a potential to be among the top global tourist destinations. He urged the States to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.

PM Modi said that it is important to align the Indian national sports calendar with the global sports calendar. India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards. He observed that young kids should be identified, nurtured and trained to compete at that time. He urged the States that the next 10 years must be invested in them, only then will India get desired results in such sports events. Organising and promoting sports events and tournaments at local and district level and keeping data of players will create a vibrant sports environment.

PM Modi said that soon India would be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM). Every State must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies. He further said that it included Ease of Doing Business, especially with respect to land, utilities and social infrastructure. He also called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and strengthen the services sector. In the services sector, PM Modi said that there should be greater emphasis on other areas like Healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services, AI, etc. to make India a Global Services Giant.

Prime Minister also emphasized that as India aspires to be the food basket of the world, we need to shift to high value agriculture, dairy, fisheries, with a focus on exports. He pointed out that the PM Dhan Dhanya Scheme has identified 100 districts with lower productivity. Similarly, in learning outcomes States must identify the lowest 100 districts and must work on addressing the issues around the low indicators.

PM also urged the States to use Gyan Bharatam Mission for digitization of manuscripts. He said that States may start a Abhiyan to digitize such manuscripts available in States. Once these manuscripts are digitized, Al can be used for synthesizing the wisdom and knowledge available.

Prime Minister noted that the Conference reflects India’s tradition of collective thinking and constructive policy dialogue, and that the Chief Secretaries Conference, institutionalised by the Government of India, has become an effective platform for collective deliberation.

Prime Minister emphasised that States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from both the Chief Secretaries and the DGPs Conferences to strengthen governance and implementation.

Prime Minister suggested that similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister also said that all States and UTs must prepare capacity building plan along with the Capacity Building Commission. He said that use of Al in governance and awareness on cyber security is need of the hour. States and Centre have to put emphasis on cyber security for the security of every citizen.

Prime Minister said that the technology can provide secure and stable solutions through our entire life cycle. There is a need to utilise technology to bring about quality in governance.

In the conclusion, Prime Minister said that every State must create 10-year actionable plans based on the discussions of this Conference with 1, 2, 5 and 10 year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.

The three-day Conference emphasised on special themes which included Early Childhood Education; Schooling; Skilling; Higher Education; and Sports and Extracurricular Activities recognising their role in building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready workforce.

Discussion during the Conference

The discussions during the Conference reflected the spirit of Team India, where the Centre and States came together with a shared commitment to transform ideas into action. The deliberations emphasised the importance of ensuring time-bound implementation of agreed outcomes so that the vision of Viksit Bharat translates into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives. The sessions provided a comprehensive assessment of the current situation, key challenges and possible solutions across priority areas related to human capital development.

The Conference also facilitated focused deliberations over meals on Heritage & Manuscript Preservation and Digitisation; and Ayush for All with emphasis on integrating knowledge in primary healthcare delivery.

The deliberations also emphasised the importance of effective delivery, citizen-centric governance and outcome-oriented implementation to ensure that development initiatives translate into measurable on-ground impact. The discussions highlighted the need to strengthen institutional capacity, improve inter-departmental coordination and adopt data-driven monitoring frameworks to enhance service delivery. Focus was placed on simplifying processes, leveraging technology and ensuring last-mile reach so that benefits of development reach every citizen in a timely, transparent and inclusive manner, in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

The Conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities. These sessions examined policy pathways and best practices on Deregulation in States, Technology in Governance: Opportunities, Risks & Mitigation; AgriStack for Smart Supply Chain & Market Linkages; One State, One World Class Tourist Destination; Aatmanirbhar Bharat & Swadeshi; and Plans for a post-Left Wing Extremism future. The discussions highlighted the importance of cooperative federalism, replication of successful State-level initiatives and time-bound implementation to translate deliberations into measurable outcomes.

The Conference was attended by Chief Secretaries, senior officials of all States/Union Territories, domain experts and senior officers in the centre.