Railways For All, Politics For None: Ashwini Vaishnaw On Fair Budgets And India’s High-Speed Rail

In an exclusive conversation with Siddharth Zarabi, Group Editor of Business Today, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw addressed concerns over regional bias in budget allocations, especially towards opposition-ruled states. Emphasising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Vaishnaw said every state has seen a major jump in railway funding since 2014. He outlined plans for nearly 4,000 km of high-speed rail corridors, noting that India has overcome the learning curve, absorbed advanced Japanese technology, and built strong indigenous capabilities through IITs and Make in India initiatives, with Indian rail technology now being exported globally.