Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the Centre has allocated ₹10,599 crore in the budget for the development of the railway sector in Odisha.

Additionally, projects worth over ₹78,000 crore are being implemented in the state. Vaishnaw also assured that Odisha would receive more Vande Bharat trains. Currently, six such trains are operating in the state.

“During the last 10 years, 2,046 new tracks have been constructed in Odisha. This is more than all the tracks in Malaysia,” Vaishnaw told reporters here over a video conference from New Delhi.

He added: “Kavach technology for better safety has been implemented on 1,898km of track across Odisha.”

After the Bahanaga railway accident in Balasore, which claimed around 297 lives in June 2023, the ministry of railways has been emphasising the implementation of the Kavach technology in Odisha.

Under the allocated funds, the ministry plans to revamp the entire railway network in the state. It will also stress on completing various ongoing railway projects, including the Khurda Road-Balangir new rail line project.

Vaishnaw made these statements in an attempt to assuage the aggrieved feelings of people following criticism from the Opposition, which claimed Odisha did not receive due recognition in the Union budget and that its interests had beencompletely neglected.

The demand for special category state status was also overlooked. The Opposition further argued that Odisha’s interests in the railway budget had been ignored.

BJD President Naveen Patnaik had said: “Today, the youth of the country are in dire need of jobs, and common people are bearing the brunt of the unchecked price rise of essential commodities. It is unfortunate that two of the most pressing challenges the country is facing have not been addressed in the budget 2025.”