In order to make India a developed nation within the next 25 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on September 1 that the Center has been pumping money for various infrastructure investments. He was speaking at the CIAL Convention Center in Nedumbassery, Kochi, during the inaugural and dedication function for several Kochi Metro and Indian Railway projects in the region. The PM claimed that more than 500 km of metro rail had been built in the nation in the eight years since the NDA government took office. There were only 259 km of metro rail built in the decades leading up to 2014. “The construction of another 1,000km is in progress across the country,” Modi said, adding modern infrastructure plays a very big and important role in this development road map. “I remember that in June 2017, I had the opportunity to inaugurate the Aluva-Palarivattom stretch. Today, the Kochi Metro Phase-I extension was inaugurated, while the foundation stone was laid for the construction of Phase-II. This will be a boon for the young techies and professionals,” said the PM. He claimed that the work that started in Kochi will give urban development and transportation development throughout the entire nation a new direction. “In Kochi, the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) has been implemented. This authority will work to integrate every means of transport like metro, waterways and others under one umbrella.” This is to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city. “The Union government has been giving great importance to the development of urban transport for the past eight years,” he said. The government is also taking steps for the comprehensive development of the Indian Railways. “The doubling from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangaluru will be very beneficial for passengers and pilgrims,” he said. PROJECTS IN KERALA The PM stated that the completed doubling of the Kuruppanthara-Kottayam-Chingavanam railway line will provide significant relief to Sabarimala pilgrims traveling from various parts of the country. At the same time, the completion of the Kollam-Punalur line electrification will reduce pollution and allow for the introduction of faster trains. He believes that as the transportation system improves, so will the tourism industry. Mudra loans worth up toRs 700 billion have been made available in Kerala for the development of entrepreneurship. The majority of these are tourism-related initiatives. He said, “Infrastructure development projects worth D1 lakh crore. See also: Chennai officials impressed by Kochi’s single-ticket systemKochi Metro to use AI cameras for passenger profiling