Economic Survey 2025-26 Highlights: Indian Railways Emerges as Key Player in Logistics Network

The Economic Survey for the year 2025-26 was presented in the Parliament on Thursday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, showcasing the remarkable progress and developments in the Indian economy. The report emphasizes the government's commitment to maintaining high capital outlay levels in the FY26 Budget Estimates to expedite time-bound capacity creation.

Indian Railways: Backbone of Freight and Energy Logistics

The Economic Survey 2025-26 underlines the significant role played by Indian Railways in the country's freight and energy logistics network. The report lauds the support provided to coal movement, industrial supply chains, and containerized traffic through dedicated corridors, modern terminals, and first-mile coectivity projects, which have elevated the railways as a crucial pillar of India's logistics infrastructure.

Transformation and Investments in Indian Railways

The survey points out that Indian Railways is undergoing a transformation, fueled by sustained capital investments, extensive network expansion, universal electrification, and a corridor-based strategy for capacity enhancement. The focus on dedicated freight corridors, economic rail corridors under PM GatiShakti, and modern signaling and station infrastructure is enhancing network reliability, safety, and multimodal integration.

Key Infrastructure Projects and Progress

Three corridor programs - Energy, Mineral & Cement; Port Coectivity; and High Traffic Density routes - are being implemented to bolster multimodal coectivity and logistics efficiency in the Railways sector. A total of 434 projects with an outlay of Rs 1117 lakh crore have been identified under these corridors, with significant progress already achieved in several projects.

Recognition for Dr. Lars-Christian Koch

In other news, Dr. Lars-Christian Koch, a renowned German ethnomusicologist, has been honored with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his extensive contributions to Indian classical music. Dr. Koch's work includes research on Buddhist music, studying Rabindra Sangeet, and exploring traditional instrument makers in India, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the country.

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