Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, said the Union budget 2023 strengthened the middle class and gave it more relief than was given by the UPA regime. For income on which the UPA government imposed as much as 20 per cent tax, this budget has zero tax, Modi said, after flagging off two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai to Solapur and Shirdi.
Speaking after the flag-off ceremony at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai, Modi said there was a time when MPs used to write letters requesting a minute or two minutes stop at stations in their areas, but now they demand Vande Bharat trains.
"Vande Bharat trains are a magnificent picture of today's modern India. It is a reflection of India's speed and scale. You can see the speed with which the country is launching Vande Bharat. Ten trains have been launched," Modi said.
The prime minister said India of the 21st century will have to rapidly improve its public transport system. "The quicker our public transport system becomes modern, the more the ease of living for the people will increase, and their quality of life will see pleasant improvements."
The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will cover the 455 km distance between Mumbai and the textile city in 6 hours and 30 minutes. The Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will take 5 hours and 25 minutes to cover the 343 km distance to the temple town.
The one-way fare without catering service on the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat train will be Rs 1,000 for chair car and Rs 2,015 for executive chair car, while the fares for the two classes with catering will be Rs 1,300 and Rs 2,365 respectively, a CR official said.
The one-way journey ticket without catering service for CSMT to Sainagar Shirdi will be Rs 840 and Rs 1,670 for chair car and executive chair car respectively, while the ticket prices with catering service will be Rs 975 and Rs 1,840 respectively.
This is Modi's second visit to Mumbai in less than a month. On January 19, the PM inaugurated and laid foundation stones for infrastructure and healthcare projects worth more than Rs 38,000 crore in Mumbai. His visit assumes significance in view of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls.
—With PTI inputs