Lucknow, Feb 20 (PTI) The inauguration of the first ‘Namo Bharat Train’ will be a step towards strengthening regional connectivity in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday.
The train is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
“The respected prime minister will inaugurate India’s first Namo Bharat Train (Rapid Rail) between Meerut and Delhi on Sunday. The train will reduce travel time between the two cities to 40–45 minutes,” Aditynath said, addressing the Assembly during the discussion on the Budget 2026-27.
“Two corridors are being developed in Meerut, one for Namo Bharat Train services and another for metro operations, giving a new dimension to regional connectivity,” he said.
Adityanath also announced a provision of Rs 1,268 crore for the Charbagh–Basant Kunj phase of the Lucknow Metro during his speech.
He said the state has set a target to develop 100 new townships over the next five years to ensure planned urban growth. As many as 114 township proposals are currently under approval, he added.
“With a population of 25 crore, Uttar Pradesh is moving towards modern and well-organised urban infrastructure,” he said.
Adityanath said housing construction for all sections, including the poor, has been accelerated, and land banks are being created to facilitate development.
To improve transparency and ease of living, a compliance reduction and deregulation policy has been implemented.
Under the new policy, only registration will be required for residential plots up to 100 square metres and commercial plots up to 30 square metres, eliminating the need for mandatory map approvals.
For residential plots up to 500 square metres and commercial plots up to 200 square metres, an online system of automatic map approval has been introduced, he said. To accelerate industrial development, integrated clusters are being developed along 27 expressways in the state, supported by a 12,500-acre land bank.
Uttar Pradesh currently has a total land bank of 75,000 acres, which will help attract investment, he said.
Through the Nivesh Mitra portal and single-window system, 4,675 compliances across 65 departments have been simplified, he added.
The chief minister said the state has received investment proposals worth more than Rs 50 lakh crore, with proposals worth Rs 7 lakh crore being brought to the implementation stage through ground-breaking ceremonies.
Referring to the 40 lakh workers who returned to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, Adityanath said 90 per cent of them are now employed in the state owing to industrial expansion.
He said a provision of Rs 2,375 crore has been made under the Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Scheme for distributing tablets to final-year UG and PG students to promote digital education and employment-oriented skills. PTI CDN VN VN
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