New Delhi:

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched a blistering attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as well as on the AAP government on Thursday and blamed them for pushing the capital into a perennial state of ‘chaos and turmoil.’

“Arvind Kejriwal-led government is to blame for the chaos in the city because of its inept and ineffective governance. People of the city are paying the price for its faults and flaws,” Ashwini Vaishnaw told scribes.

I&B Minister’s stern criticism of the Delhi government comes on the back of certain parts (Bawana) of the city getting flooded with the sudden gush of water, triggered by a breach in the Munal Canal barrage, forcing the people to wade through flooded streets in waist-deep water.

AAP leadership has sought to shift the blame on the Haryana government, claiming that the barrage is managed by the neighbouring state, however, added that the city government is co-ordinating with the latter for quick repair work and restoration.

He said that Kejriwal and AAP made lofty promises about making the city clean and green but the reality is that it is faltering on all counts of cleanliness and hygiene. They betrayed the people and their trust with its dishonest and devious governance.

Union Minister further said that the Kejriwal government, in spite of creating a robust water supply system in the capital, focussed on expanding the liquor business and allotting licences to private operators in return for kickbacks.

He said that Delhi CM has been opposing his involvement in the liquor scam but the ED chargesheet has eventually ‘nailed’ his lies. Notably, the investigative agency filed its seventh supplementary chargesheet in the liquor scam on Wednesday and described the AAP National Convenor as the ‘kingpin and key conspirator’ in the 2021-2022 excise policy scam.

“The widespread corruption in excise policy scam has raised a big question mark on the political life and political ideology of Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.

Ashwini Vaishnaw also lashed out at the Congress and AAP alliance and said that they stitched ties to loot the people of Delhi.

Dubbing the alliance ‘maha thugbandhan’, he said that the people of the city will have to decide whether they can repose faith in the corrupt leaders to transform Delhi into a world-class city.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on June 30 said new railway projects worth ₹1 lakh crore will be implemented in Odisha in the next five years.

Mr. Vaishnaw said this while addressing a felicitation programme organised by Odisha BJP in Bhubaneswar to felicitate the party’s 20 MPs and 78 MLAs elected in recently held Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections in Odisha.

“The Congress government and the then Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government have neglected the development of the railway sector in Odisha. So, with the formation of a double-engine government of the BJP in Odisha and Centre, now, the gap created during the past years, will be met by creating a new record in these five years,” he said.

“Though many mega railway projects have been sanctioned, those were delayed due to delay in land acquisition by the previous BJD government,” said Mr. Vaishnaw, adding, “Now double engine government is formed and the pace of the railway projects will be accelerated.”

The Union Minister said the allocation to Odisha in the Railway Budget has been enhanced from ₹800 crore during the UPA government tenure to more than ₹10,000 crore during Modi government.

“During the past three consecutive years, more than ₹10,000 crore has been allocated to the State in the railway sector,” he said.

Mr. Vaishnaw further said a new railway line of 1,826 km was constructed in Odisha during the last 10 years, which is higher than the total railway network of Sri Lanka (1,700 km). He also said that 315 special trains will run to and from Puri during the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath for smooth travel and convenience of the pilgrims. “Last year, 222 trains were run during the Rath Yatra. The special trains have been planned from 25 districts of Odisha,” he added.

Mr. Vaishnaw, who is also the IT Minister, said that an electronic manufacturing cluster and a semi-conductor training centre will be set up in Odisha.

Congratulating the newly elected MLAs and MPs, he expressed confidence that the BJP government will continue to serve the people of Odisha for the next 50 years. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and two Deputy Chief Ministers K. V. Singh Deo and Pravati Parida are like Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra who have been given a big responsibility for the development of the State.

A lot of first-time MLAs and MPs have been elected in this election and the State for the first time has CM and Deputy CMs belonging to the BJP. With this team, a new Odisha will be built which will help in building a ‘Viksit Bharat’, Mr. Pradhan said.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram advised the BJP MLAs and MPs to have a mindset of ‘nation first, party second and self last’.

Mr. Oram said the BJP has helped the BJD to form a government in the State to end the Congress government. “But, they became “arrogant and became worse” like the Congress government. So, people have elected the BJP government,” he said.

Kolkata:

The Kanchanjunga Express was travelling from Agartala in Tripura to Sealdah in Kolkata when a goods train hit it from behind near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri Monday morning, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to 41. Preliminary findings point to a combination of human error and signal failure as contributing factors.

The Railway Board’s initial report on Monday revealed that the goods train, operating under a defective automatic signalling system, was travelling above speed limits when it crashed into the Kanchanjunga Express. The railways have not commented on this issue.

When the automated system fails, railway protocol mandates a written authority known as TA 912. This document authorises train drivers to pass all red signals due to the signalling defect, provided they adhere to stringent safety measures. Both the Kanchanjunga Express and the goods train had been issued TA 912 (pictured below).

According to railway procedures, under TA 912, drivers must stop for one minute at each defective signal and proceed at a maximum speed of 10 kmph. Additionally, they must maintain a 150-metre gap from the preceding train to ensure adequate stopping distance if the previous train has not cleared the signal. However, in this incident, the goods train driver violated these critical conditions.

The Kanchanjunga Express had cleared nine automatic signals with TA 912 and had stopped after crossing the nine signals awaiting fresh clearance to proceed further.

Authorisation To Cross Red Signals

The Railway Board said that the driver of the goods train had been authorised to cross all red signals between Rangapani and Chattarhat railway stations due to the defective automatic signalling system. However, the train’s speed exceeded the permissible limit set for such situations. The goods train driver was given a TA 912, by the station master of Rangapani, permitting the train to pass nine red signals. This authorisation was crucial because the automatic signalling system had been malfunctioning since 5:50 am on the day of the accident.

The goods train, GFCJ, departed from Rangapani at 8:42 am and collided with the stationary Kanchanjunga Express at 8:55 am. The impact resulted in the derailment of the guard’s coach, two parcel coaches, and a general seating coach of the passenger train. The driver of the goods train, who was among the dead, was found to have not followed the mandatory speed restrictions, leading to the crash.

The driver of the Kanchanjunga Express adhered to the safety norms required during a signalling defect. He stopped at all red signals for one minute and proceeded at a speed of 10 kmph. In contrast, the goods train’s driver proceeded at higher than permissible limits and rammed the passenger train.

Automatic Signalling System Failure

The TA 912 authority letter mentioned that the automatic signalling system had failed and authorised the driver to pass all automatic signals between Rangapani and Chattarhat, regardless of whether they were red or caution signals. The Railway Board said that under normal circumstances, a train encountering a red signal should stop for one minute during the day and two minutes at night, proceeding with extreme caution at speed not exceeding 15 kmph in good visibility conditions and 10 kmph in poor visibility.

Despite these regulations, the goods train exceeded the permissible speed, leading to the catastrophic collision. The exact speed at which the goods train was travelling has not been disclosed by the Railway Board.

Rescue operations concluded by late afternoon, but efforts to clear the derailed coaches and restore rail services continued. The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital treated several injured passengers, with 41 remaining hospitalized, including nine in critical condition.

Official Response

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) initiated a probe into the cause of the accident. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the site, overseeing relief operations and announcing compensation for the victims’ families. Rs 10 lakh will be provided to the families of those who died, Rs 2.5 lakh to the grievously injured, and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims and prayed for the recovery of those who were injured. 

“The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji is on the way to the site of the mishap as well,” PM Modi posted on X. 

The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2024

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Railway Ministry for neglecting passenger safety and failing to implement the anti-collision system effectively. She alleged that the railways focused more on fare hikes than improving safety measures. 

“The railways have become totally parentless. Though the ministry is there, the old glory is missing. Only beautification is being done, but they do not care about passenger amenities. They are only keen on hiking fares,” she said. “You will only see them talk big. They also do not take care of the railway officers, technical, safety, and security personnel. I am with the railway employees and officers.” 

Governor CV Ananda Bose urged the prioritisation of treating the victims rather than engaging in blame games.

New Delhi:

The Bengal train accident that took place this morning, heralded the return of a wrathful Opposition, fresh from its massively improved performance in the recently concluded general election. From former railway ministers Lalu Yadav and Mamata Banerjee to various leaders in the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, social media platforms have been full of angry accusations, demanding that the government take responsibility for the deaths of nine people and injuries to 50 others. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tried to stem the tide, saying this is “not the time for politics”.

Three coaches of Kolkata-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed early this morning when a goods train slammed it from behind near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri. The casualties would have been higher had the parcel coach and the guard’s coach not been at the rear.

In the afternoon, Mr Vaishnaw reached the spot. “Rescue operation is over, our focus in now on restoration. This is not the time for politics,” he said, responding to questions on Opposition criticism.  

“This government is only interested in elections.. How to go for hacking… how to go for manipulation… They do not take care of amenities… bathrooms are dirty and there are dirty things in bedding… They do not take care of the railway staff,” said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shortly after.

Ms Banerjee handled the railway portfolio from 2009 to 2011 during the second term of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. She had also held the ministry for less than two years in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The first off the block, though, was Rashtriya Janata Dal patriarch Lalu Yadav, who handled the railway portfolio during the first term of the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh. “Who is responsible for the continuous railway accidents in the country?”  read his post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Congress attack was spearheaded by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who accused the BJP-led government of indulging in “utter mismanagement of the Railway Ministry”.

“As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Govt has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of ‘Camera-driven’ self-promotion! Today’s tragedy is yet another reminder of this stark reality,” he said.

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi underscored the point, saying, “As a responsible Opposition, we will keep raising questions on this scary negligence and make the government accountable.”

“The safety and travel of passengers in Indian Railways is now becoming a matter of concern,” read a rough translation of a Hindi post from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

“The railway accidents that have happened in the last 10 years are the result of the central government’s negligence and mismanagement. We will continue to raise our voice against this,” senior Congress leader Deepender Hooda told reporters.

The official handle of the Congress responded with a list of the major train accidents over the last decade, with a break-up of the number of people killed and injured in each.

मोदी सरकार में हुए बड़े रेल हादसे

26 मई, 2014
गोरखधाम एक्सप्रेस
25 लोगों की मौत
50 से ज्यादा घायल

20 नवंबर, 2016
इंदौर-पटना एक्सप्रेस
150 लोगों की मौत
150 से ज्यादा लोग घायल

23 अगस्त, 2017
कैफियत एक्सप्रेस
70 लोग घायल

18 अगस्त, 2017
पुरी-हरिद्वार उत्कल एक्सप्रेस
23 लोगों…

— Congress (@INCIndia) June 17, 2024

Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party pointed out that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, then Union railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had resigned taking responsibility for the Gasal train accident in 1999.

“But Ashwini Vaishnav in the Modi government, who had two major train accidents during his tenure, never once accepted the responsibility for the train accident… Railway account is only to promote Modi government by setting up selfie booth, not for safety of railway passengers,” the party posted on X.

New Delhi:

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Sunday that the first trial run of the Sangaldan-Reasi train was completed, a significant milestone of crossing the world’s tallest railway bridge, Chenab.

Vaishnaw said, “1st trial train has successfully run from Sangaldan to Reasi, including crossing the Chenab Bridge.”

He also said, “All construction works for the USBRL are nearly finished, with tunnel No.1 remaining partially incomplete.”

Notably, the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir is taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

As the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project is almost completed, Indian Railways is edging closer to connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the railway network.

Chenab Bridge is a structural marvel built across a gorge of Chenab Bridge in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir under the USBRL Project.

This bridge was constructed 359 metres (around 109 feet) above the Chenab River in the Jammu and Kashmir region, and is around 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.

Earlier, the Ministry of Railways made it to the “Limca Book of Records” for “most people at a public-service event – multiple venues.

“The Railways Ministry organised an event on February 26, 2024, which was attended by 40,19,516 people at 2,140 venues.

The event was organised for the inauguration of road over/road under railway bridges and for laying the foundation stones of railway stations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The mammoth effort and mobilisation of Indian Railways have been recognised, and the same has entered the prestigious Limca Book of World Records.

Meanwhile, Ashwini Vaishnaw assumed charge as Minister of Railways for the second time under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning in Delhi.

Vaishnaw has been assigned portfolios as Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, apart from the Railways Ministry.

Earlier on Friday, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be on track within two months.

Vaishnaw said, “The completion work of the trainset of the Vande Bharat sleeper train is in full swing and the first train will be on track within two months. All technical works are in the last phase. The trainset is manufactured by BEML Ltd at its rail unit in Bangalore. The much-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper version will provide easy mobility to commuters and offer various comforts in the near future with global standards.”

The Minister said that the Vande Bharat sleeper train body is made of high-grade austenitic stainless steel and includes crash-worthy elements integrated into the crash buffers and couplers.

“The car body structure is crafted with high-grade Austenitic stainless steel, featuring crashworthy elements integrated into the crash buffers and couplers. Complying with stringent safety standards, all materials and aggregates in the trainset adhere to the Fire standard requirements as per EN45545 HL3 grade,” Vaishnaw said.

Vaishnaw further added that the Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains designed by BEML prioritize both aesthetic appeal and functionality in their design.

“The Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains designed by BEML prioritize both aesthetic appeal and functionality in their interiors, sleeper berths, and exteriors. From the front nose cone to interior panels, seats and berths, interior lights, couplers, gangways and beyond, every element is meticulously designed to meet the exacting standards of the sleeper trainset,” he said.

Notably, India’s first semi-high speeds indigenously built Vande Bharat trains have completely transformed the passenger experience. After the success of this modern train, Indian Railways is now set to launch its indigenous high-speed trains, Vande Sleeper.

Designed for travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h, the Vande Bharat sleeper train is envisioned to provide an alternative to the present Rajdhani Express for premium long-distance travel.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Union Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday that in the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi guarantees that almost any passenger who wants to travel can easily get a confirmed ticket.

In an interaction with IANS, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that in the last 10 years, PM Modi has done unprecedented transformation in Railways.

“In the next five years, PM Modi guarantees that the capacity of the Railways will be increased so much that almost any passenger who wants to travel can easily get a confirmed ticket,” the Union Minister emphasised.

Sharing an example of how the Indian Railways has transformed in the last decade, the Union Minister informed that in the process of building railway tracks, only 17,000 kilometres of tracks were built between 2004 and 2014.

“From 2014 to 2024, 31,000 kilometres of new tracks were built. In the 10 years from 2004 to 2014, only around 5,000 kilometres were electrified, whereas in the last 10 years, a staggering 44,000 kilometres of railway electrification took place,” Ashwini Vaishnaw noted.

“Only 32,000 coaches were made from 2004-2014. In the last 10 years, 54,000 coaches were built. For the dedicated freight corridor, not even a single kilometre was commissioned before 2014. Now, two dedicated freight corridors of 2,734 kilometres have been commissioned,” the Union Minister informed.

In the next five years, Railways, which are a strong link in the growth of the country’s economy, “will be further strengthened and the facilities, especially for the passengers, will be expanded at a much faster pace”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took to X on Thursday to share a video of India’s first ballastless track system being developed for the bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Significant progress has been achieved for the Bullet Train, which has a 320 kmph speed barrier, the minister revealed. According to Mr Vaishnaw, 295.5 km of piers and 153 km of viaducts have already been finished.

He posted a video of the same on his X account and wrote, “Bharat’s first ballastless track for Bullet Train. 320 kmph speed threshold, 153 km of viaduct completed, 295.5 km of pier work completed. More to come in Modi 3.0”. 

Watch the video here:

Bharat’s first ballastless track for #BulletTrain !

320 kmph speed threshold
153 km of viaduct completed
295.5 km of pier work completed

More to come in Modi 3.0 pic.twitter.com/YV6vP4tbXS

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (मोदी का परिवार) (@AshwiniVaishnaw) March 28, 2024

Ballastless track, or ‘slab track’ is growing in popularity in some countries for high-speed lines. Notably, this is for the first time, the J-slab ballastless track system is being used in India. The innovative track system features pre-cast track slabs meticulously equipped with fastening devices and rails.

This slab rests on the RC track bed which has a thickness of approximately 300mm and is constructed in situ (at the site) for individual UP and Down track lines on the viaduct top.  The RC track bed boasts a width of 2420mm, ensuring stability, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) said.

“The bullet train project has to be seen from the perspective of integrating economies. In the first corridor that Indian railways are doing, Mumbai, Thane, Vapi, Baroda, Surat, Anand and Ahmedabad – all these economies will become one single economy. So you can have breakfast in Surat, go and complete your work in Mumbai, and come back with your family in the night,” Mr Vaishnaw said at NDTV Indian of the Year award on March 24. 

The projected cost is an estimated ₹ 1.08 lakh crore, of which the Centre is committed to providing ₹ 10,000 crore, while Gujarat and Maharashtra will contribute ₹ 5,000 crore each. The remaining funding will be secured through a loan from Japan – at a minimal 0.1 per cent interest rate.

Of late, there have been several complaints about ticketless passengers occupying seats of legitimate ticket-holders on trains. In a similar incident, a passenger travelling in the sleeper coach of the Bhuj-Shalimar Express complained how unauthorised travellers overcrowded the compartment, leading to chaos and disorder.

In a post on X, user @Shahrcasm recounted his unpleasant journey and said how ticketless individuals occupied their reserved seats, leaving no space for his family to sit. 

”Sleeper coach, reserved s5, 22829 which departed from Ahmedabad a while ago. Without tickets People not moving and giving places to us with reserved tickets. Please help,” the user wrote on X and tagged Union Minister of Railways of India, Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Indian Railways in his post. He also shared a few pictures of the train coach packed with passengers. The train’s corridor was also congested, leaving little room for movement.

See the post here:

Sleeper coach, reserved s5, 22829 which departed from Ahmedabad a while ago. Without ticket People not moving and giving place to us with reserved ticket. Please help. Pnr number – 8413099794 @RailwaySeva@RailMinIndia@AshwiniVaishnawpic.twitter.com/NUhTvKIXWP

— Babu Bhaiya (@Shahrcasm) March 26, 2024

Railway Sewa, the official customer care account of the Railways, responded to the post, promising him immediate action. 

Please share your mobile no. preferably via DM to enable us to take immediate action. You may also raise your concern directly on https://t.co/JNjgaq1zyT or dial 139 for speedy redressal.
https://t.co/utEzIqB89U

— RailwaySeva (@RailwaySeva) March 26, 2024

The post quickly gained traction and comments started pouring in. Several internet users expressed their anger and frustration at the situation, which is unfortunately ”too common” in India. 

One user wrote, ”This has become such a pain nowadays. Have been seeing the same complaints every second day on Twitter.”

Another said, ”This is new India. Sleeper has become General, 3AC is like Sleeper now and 2AC is like 3AC.”

A third wrote, ”This happens when you restrict 2 general compartments for a train… horrible to travel in general compartments I have experienced recently… Hiding problems is not at all a solution…” A fourth added, ”Travelling on Railways has become a mess.”

New Delhi:

India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said that it is essential for the government to set up its own fact-checking unit because it is the best suited to combat misinformation about welfare policies and other schemes. His remarks come just days after the Supreme Court halted the government’s move to establish its own Fact Check Unit.

“Facts are facts. Opinions are opinions. Recently, an opposition party posted that passengers of India Railways have reduced by 80%. You will have to ask the Railways what is the accurate number to tackle this misinformation,” Mr Vaishnaw said at NDTV Indian Of The Year awards today.

“If there is a question related to the central government, who is best placed to answer that fact? The central government. Our proposal was limited to facts and data related to the central government’s work,” Mr Vaishnaw added.

The provision for a Fact Check Unit was part of the amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, brought by the Centre last year.

Under the rules, if this unit comes across or is informed about any posts that are fake, false, and contain misleading facts about the business of the government, it would flag them to social media intermediaries. Once such a post is flagged, the intermediary has the option of taking it down or putting a disclaimer. In taking the second option, the intermediary risks legal action.

But the move had been challenged in the Supreme Court over concerns of censorship. The petitioners, stand-up comic Kunal Kamra and the Editors Guild of India said the new rules would restrict users from expressing themselves freely on social media. They had said the social media intermediaries would readily remove posts flagged by the government’s Fact Check Unit to avoid legal troubles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at the inauguration of the seventh edition of the India Mobile Congress at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on October 27, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 27 hailed telecom operators’ progress in spreading 5G coverage in urban centres, saying that over 80% of India’s population now had access to the high speed technology. “Within a year of 5G launch, about 4 lakh 5G base stations have been built in India,” Mr. Modi said at the seventh India Mobile Congress event in New Delhi. 

“Improving internet connectivity and speed is not just about rankings and numbers,” Mr. Modi said, after mentioning Indian networks’ jump in global mobile data speed rankings. “Improving internet connectivity and speed also increases ease of living … it becomes easier for the student to connect with his teacher online, the patient has a seamless experience while connecting to his doctor for telemedicine [and] tourists can easily use online maps to find a location.”

“We are not only rapidly expanding 5G in India, but are also moving towards becoming a leader in the field of 6G,” Mr. Modi said, referring to research efforts in India to standardize the next generation of telecommunications. He took a swipe at the 2G scam, saying, “What happened here during 2G, maybe the new generation will not know … 4G expanded in our period but there is not a single stain” on that technology’s rollout, Mr. Modi said.

The Prime Minister pointed to increased domestic electronics manufacturing as a success, and cited Apple and Samsung’s smartphone assembly in India as an example. He also cited Google’s plans to assemble its Pixel lineup in India. “Today, we are exporting about Rs 2 lakh crore in electronic manufacturing,” Mr. Modi remarked. 

Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on the sidelines of the event that even the component manufacturing ecosystem was taking shape in India, with camera modules for Apple coming together in India soon. “The value addition is increasing rapidly,” Mr. Vaishnaw said, citing the fact that Google designs chips that go into its Pixel phones in India.

Mr. Modi made a pitch to securing electronics supply chains, a likely reference to Chinese dominance in electronics assembly and manufacturing. “It is … necessary to discuss how we can make the democratic societies of the world safe from troublemakers,” Mr. Modi warned.