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The central government has taken a big step towards strengthening the logistics and public transport infrastructure of the country. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given official approval to four major infrastructure projects of Indian Railways. These projects, with a total estimated cost of approximately ₹10,783 crore, are spread across 5 major states of the country. Through these projects, preparations are being made to reduce congestion on existing routes, increase the average speed of goods trains and directly connect backward and tribal areas with the main rail network. With this decision, 14 districts of 5 states will be directly benefited and the work of laying and doubling of new railway lines for about 600 kilometers will be done. Which 5 states and 14 districts will get direct benefits? This rail expansion plan is primarily aimed at connecting the central, eastern and western parts of the country covering 5 states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. 14 Major Districts: 14 important industrial, mining and agriculture dominated districts of these states are being connected to this network, providing safe and fast travel option to local business, daily commuters and students. New Railway Stations: With the completion of these projects, many new modern railway stations will be built, through which trains will reach rural areas cut off from the rail network for the first time. Revolution in freight transportation and logistics: Faster supply of coal, cement and food grains. Laying of new tracks and doubling of existing tracks will lead to huge increase in the freight capacity of the Railways: 50-60 million tonnes of additional freight annually: These new corridors will enable transportation of lakhs of tonnes of coal, iron ore, cement, fertilizers and food grains every year without any delay. Drastic reduction in logistics costs: Rail transport is up to 70% cheaper and more environment-friendly than road transport. These projects will help in reducing the country's overall logistics cost as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Relief to the environment (Carbon Credit): Smooth movement of goods trains will save millions of liters of diesel annually and there will be a huge reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere. Blueprint to 'PM Gati Shakti' National Master Plan According to the Railway Ministry, these four projects have been designed under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. It aims to establish multi-modal connectivity, so that railway tracks can directly connect to industrial areas, ports, airports and major warehousing hubs. During the construction work, direct and indirect employment of lakhs of man-days will be created at the local level. Steel, cement and cable industries will directly benefit from the huge demand, which will boost the local economy. The government has set a target to complete all these projects in a time bound manner, so that smooth operation of trains can be started on these tracks within the next 3 to 4 years.