Union Budget 2021: On Monday, FM Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first ever paperless Union Budget in the parliament for the financial year 2021-22. In her Budget Speech, the Finance Minister said that a total of 702 kilometres of the conventional metro is currently operational and another 1,016 kilometres of metro and RRTS network is under construction in 27 cities. In Tier-2 cities and peripheral areas of Tier-1 cities, two new technologies i.e., ‘MetroLite’ as well as ‘MetroNeo’ will be deployed to provide metro rail systems at much lesser cost with same experience, safety and convenience. Sitharaman also said that central counterpart funding will be provided to the following Metro projects:
- Kochi Metro Rail Network Phase-2 of 11.5 kilometres at a cost of Rs 1957.05 crores
- Chennai Metro Rail Network Phase-2 of 118.9 kilometres at a cost of Rs 63,246 crores
- Bengaluru Metro Rail Network Project Phase-2A and Phase-2B of 58.19 km at a cost of Rs 14,788 crores
- Nagpur Metro Rail Network Project Phase-2 at Rs 5,976 crores
- Nashik Metro Rail Network Project at Rs 2,092 crores
The FM, while presenting the Union Budget 2021, said that the Modi government will work towards raising the share of public transport in urban areas through expansion of metro rail network as well as augmentation of city bus services. In order to support augmentation of public bus transport services, a new scheme will be launched at a cost of Rs 18,000 crores. According to Sitharaman, the scheme will facilitate deployment of innovative public private partnership (PPP) models to allow private sector players to acquire, finance, operate as well as maintain over 20,000 buses. The new scheme will give a boost to the automobile sector, and provide fillip to economic growth, create job opportunities for the country’s youth and also, enhance ease of mobility for urban residents, the Union Budget 2021 stated.
