JIND/CHANDIGARH, July 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India’s first hydrogen-powered train is the world’s most powerful, describing it as a milestone in green mobility and a testament to the success of the Make in India initiative, as he launched development projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore in Haryana and Chandigarh.
Flagging off the country’s first hydrogen-powered train on the 90-km Jind-Sonipat route, Modi said the 3,200-horsepower train comprises 10 coaches, making it more powerful than hydrogen trains currently operating elsewhere, which typically have only three or four coaches. He said the launch had “permanently etched” Jind and Haryana in the pages of history and marked a major leap for Indian Railways.
The Prime Minister said hydrogen train technology had emerged globally only seven to eight years ago and that India had demonstrated its technological capability by launching a full-fledged 10-coach hydrogen train in its first attempt. Calling the train completely emission-free, he said it had been designed by Indian engineers and built by domestic manufacturers, making it “a remarkably successful testament to Make in India.” He added that the development of hydrogen rail infrastructure would require dedicated infrastructure and manufacturing facilities, creating new employment opportunities, particularly for the youth of Haryana.
Modi said the 19th century belonged to steam locomotives, the 20th century to electric trains and the 21st century would be driven by hydrogen-powered mobility. Referring to the conflict in West Asia, he said India’s near-complete railway electrification had helped insulate the rail network from global fuel disruptions, noting that electrification had increased from about 30 per cent before 2014 to nearly 99 per cent nationally and 100 per cent in Haryana. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation projects worth around Rs 14,700 crore in Haryana, covering railways, highways, healthcare and cultural infrastructure. These included new medical colleges in Bhiwani and Narnaul, major highway projects and the foundation stone of a Sikh Museum in Kurukshetra. He said improved connectivity would boost trade, tourism, agriculture and employment.
Earlier in Chandigarh, Modi inaugurated the 300-bed Advanced Mother and Child Centre and the 300-bed Advanced Neurosciences Centre at PGIMER and laid the foundation stone of a 150-bed Critical Care Block under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission. He also launched and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 4,700 crore spanning healthcare, education and road infrastructure.
Calling Chandigarh a major healthcare hub for North India, including Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, the Prime Minister said the new facilities would improve treatment for millions of people. He also announced that an MBBS college had been approved for PGIMER Chandigarh and said admissions were expected to commence soon.
Highlighting the government’s healthcare initiatives, Modi said 15 new AIIMS had been approved since 2014, over 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs were providing primary healthcare services across the country and more than 48 crore telemedicine consultations had been conducted through the eSanjeevani platform. He said healthcare in India was “no longer a privilege but is becoming the right of every ordinary citizen.”
The Prime Minister also said India had transformed from a country seeking assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic to one extending help to other nations and had emerged as a major destination for medical tourism. Stressing the importance of sanitation, he said, “Swachhata is not a one-day activity; it is a way of life,” and credited the Swachh Bharat Mission with improving public health outcomes.
