Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off five Vande Bharat Express at Rani Kamalapati Railway Station on Tuesday (27 june), a first in Indian Railways for the simultaneous operation of five Vande Bharat trains on the same day.
The semi-high speed services are Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express; Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express; Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express; Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express; and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.
All these five Vande Bharat trains are 8-coach each and the number of coaches can be increased upto 16, depending of the traffic demand.
Goa, Bihar and Jharkhand to get Vande Bharat train connectivity for the first time.
Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express will connect Mahakaushal Region (Jabalpur) to the Central Region (Bhopal) of Madhya Pradesh. Also, tourist places like Bheraghat, Pachmarhi, Satpura etc will also be benefitted by improved connectivity. The train will be faster by about thirty mins as compared to the existing fastest train in the route.
Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express will improve the connectivity of Malwa Region (Indore) and Bundelkhand Region (Khajuraho) to Central Region (Bhopal).
This will benefit the important tourist sites like Mahakaleshwar, Mandu, Maheshwar, Khajuraho, Panna. The train will be about two hours and thirty mins faster than the fastest existing train on the route.
Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express will be Goa’s first Vande Bharat Express. It will run between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Goa’s Madgaon station.
It will help save about one hour of journey time, when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places.
Dharwad–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will connect important cities in Karnataka – Dharwad, Hubballi and Davangere – with State Capital Bengaluru.
It will immensely benefit tourists, students, industrialists etc in the region. The train will be faster by about thirty mins as compared to the existing fastest train in the route.
Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express will be the first Vande Bharat for Jharkhand and Bihar.
Enhancing connectivity between Patna and Ranchi, the train will be a boon for tourists, students and businessmen. It will help save about one hour and twenty five minutes journey time, when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places.
Besides launching Vande Bharat trains, Prime Minister will attend a public programme in Shahdol where he will honour Rani Durgavati, launch the Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission and kickstart distribution of Ayushman cards. Prime Minister will also visit Pakaria village in Shahdol District.
At a public programme in Shahdol, Prime Minister will launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission. He will also distribute sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries.
The Mission aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population.
The launch will mark a crucial milestone in the Government’s ongoing efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047. The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2023.
This will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high focused states in the country namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
Prime Minister will kickstart the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh.
The ceremony for the distribution of Ayushman cards is being organised at Urban bodies, Gram panchayats and Development Blocks across the state.
The Ayushman card distribution campaign is a step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision of reaching out to every beneficiary to ensure 100 per cent saturation of welfare schemes.
During the programme, Prime Minister will honour Rani Durgavati on the occasion of the conclusion of ‘Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatra’. The Yatra is being organised by Madhya Pradesh Government to popularise Rani Durgavati’s valour and sacrifice.
Rani Durgavati, was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid 16th century. She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals.
PM in Pakaria Village
In a unique initiative, Prime Minister will visit Pakaria village of Shahdol district and interact with leaders of tribal community, Self-Help Groups, leaders of PESA [Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996] committees and Captains of Village Football Clubs.
Prime Minister will witness cultural program by tribal and folk artists and also have dinner at the village.