Setu Bharat Yojana- Importance, Aim, Duration, Budget, Specifics

Setu Bharat Yojana

Setu Bharat Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 March 2016 with a budget of 102 billion with the goal of making all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019. It includes the construction of 208 rails over and under bridges (ROBs/RUBs) at unmanned railway crossings on national highways, the widening of 1,500 dilapidated British-era bridges and their rehabilitation or replacement in a phased manner. In New Delhi, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Setu Bharat Yojana, which aims to build bridges to provide safe and seamless traffic on national highways.

Importance Of Setu Bharat Yojana

Unmanned railway crossings are a major source of rail accidents in India, particularly in rural areas. To minimize similar accidents, the Indian government has set a goal of eliminating all such crossings.

A solid infrastructure network is critical for a country’s growth and development. In order to meet people’s expectations and long-felt demands, a qualitative shift and a holistic, integrated strategy to create infrastructure in the country is required.

Aim Of Setu Bharat Yojana

The Indian Bridge Management System has been implemented to map all of the country’s 1,50,000 bridges. By 2019, the Setu Bharatam programme intends to eliminate all railway level crossings on national highways. This is being done in order to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities at level crossings. Under the initiative, 208 ROBs would be built at level crossings with a budget of Rs. 20,800 crore.

Duration

In the year 2016, the government initiated this massive and ambitious project. This project has begun, and it will be completed in a record amount of time.

The project’s goal was to complete it by the end of 2019. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways successfully reached its goals, and the project was finished in 2019.

Budget Of Scheme

A budget of Rs. 102 billion has been approved by the Prime Minister. The entire project report has been released, and it covers over 73 railways over bridges, 64 of which will cost Rs. 5600 crore. The government will have to invest around Rs. 1 crore on each bridge.

The programme is comprehensive, as it focuses on the construction of new bridges and the renovation of existing ones. At the cost of Rs 30,000 crore, more than 1500 old and worn-out bridges will be restored and modernized.

Specifics Of 208 Bridges

Nineteen states will benefit from this 208 Railway over bridges, extending much-needed development.

State	Number of bridges
Andhra Pradesh	33
Assam	12
Bihar	20
Chhattisgarh	5
Gujarat	8
Haryana	10
Himachal Pradesh	5
Jharkhand	11
Karnataka	17
Kerala	4
Madhya Pradesh	6
Maharashtra	12
Odisha	4
Punjab	10
Rajasthan	9
Tamil Nadu	9
Uttarakhand	2
Uttar Pradesh	9
West Bengal	22

Focus On Rural Areas

The administration is putting a lot of effort into improving roads in India’s rural areas. It is also likely to take up a sizable chunk of the 2017 federal budget. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana has already been granted INR 19,000 crore in the 2016-17 Union Budget (PMGSY). The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari, has also claimed that work on the bridges has already begun. The government has received detailed project reports for 73 bridges. 

Objectives Of Setu Bharat Yojana

• The major goal of the Setu Bharat Yojana, which was inaugurated on 4 March 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is to make all national highways in India free of railway crossings by the year 2019 and it has been working toward that goal since then.
• Around 218 new bridges (under and over railway tracks) would be erected, with the government allocating Rs 100 crore for this purpose.
• Bridges are expected to be built throughout India so that railway tracks don’t slow down vehicles traveling on national highways.
• The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana has already been granted INR 19,000 crore in the 2016–17 union budgets (PMGSY). The government has received detailed project reports for 73 bridges.
• In India, bridges are being graded, which is a huge step forward. Space technology is being used in conjunction with age, distance from start to finish, longitude, material, design, and latitude.
• By the end of 2016, the government was also expected to give the go light to 64 more bridges.
• At this point, it is estimated that the total building cost will be around INR 5600 crore.
• Railways could not function on such a foundation; solid development was required, centring on constructing rail gauges and lines.
• The administration has given the railway sector a new lease on life and altered the methods it might be developed further.

Benefits Of Setu Bharat Yojana

• It is a long-term plan in which the state wants to construct railways, ports, highways, and utilities jointly. It is concerned with people’s safety.
• The initiative will accelerate, empower, and strengthen the country’s development.
• Railways have access to water and electricity, allowing these areas to benefit from improved water, electricity, and other services.
• It saves time and resources for those who use highways, such as raw material providers and consumers, who receive quick delivery and save money.
• The initiative would also result in more jobs in rural areas.

Shortcomings Of The Scheme

• The construction process is extremely slow, and the government cannot meet the goals it set out to achieve at the outset. The Setu Bharatam programme suggested the construction of many railways over and under bridges, and 24 of the 208 planned railway over bridges have been built, with work on the under bridges yet to begin.
• Because the states share the expense of building, the cost of land for development may rise.
• Variations in the number of bridges envisaged at the outset.
• Before the construction can begin, several requirements must be completed. Closing railway crossings, preparing new lines, the state government expanding its budget, and an advance act are some of them.

Conclusion 

The Indian Railways, as well as the road transportation system in general, require a quality improvement. All of this is feasible as part of a large project that consolidates all changes into one and plans the goals and objectives so that the end result is highly efficient. All of this is provided by this project, which only requires a well-planned implementation. The importance of grading and bridge construction is one of Setu Bharat Yojana’s many advantages. Moreover, comparable improvements in the travel business, particularly trains, have not occurred in India yet. Infrastructure will aid the country’s development by providing speed, power, and strength. Focusing on the construction of road and railway networks, optical fiber networks, water, grid, power connectivity, and electricity supply will result in progress, and the government is working in this direction. We hope this article provided you with all the needed information on Setu Bharat Yojana.

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