Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded key decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, describing them as transformative for India’s healthcare, maritime sector, infrastructure, and research ecosystem.
Following the Cabinet’s approval of Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme to add undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats, Modi said the move will bolster the country’s healthcare system and medical education.
"Approval of Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme will add significant PG and UG medical seats. This will improve our healthcare system and enhance medical education infrastructure. It will ensure that every part of India has availability of skilled doctors," he wrote on X.
The Phase-III scheme will create 5,000 additional PG seats and 5,023 MBBS seats across government medical colleges, with an enhanced cost ceiling of Rs 1.5 crore per seat. Officials said the expansion will strengthen medical capacity, increase specialist availability, and introduce new disciplines in government institutions.
On the economic front, the Prime Minister hailed the Cabinet’s approval of a Rs 69,725-crore package for India’s shipbuilding and maritime sector, terming it a “transformative push for maritime self-reliance.”
"In a transformative push for maritime self-reliance, the Cabinet approved a package to rejuvenate India's shipbuilding and maritime sector. This historic move will unlock 4.5 million Gross Tonnage capacity, generate jobs, and attract investments," Modi noted on X.
The package introduces a four-pillar approach, focusing on domestic capacity, long-term financing, greenfield and brownfield development, skill enhancement, and policy reforms. It also extends the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) until March 2036, with a total corpus of Rs 24,736 crore, and establishes a National Shipbuilding Mission to oversee implementation.
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Infrastructure development in Bihar was another highlight, with the Cabinet approving the doubling of the 104 km Bakhtiyarpur-Rajgir-Tilaiya railway section at a cost of Rs 2,192 crore, enhancing connectivity for locals, pilgrims, and tourists.
"For the all-round development of Bihar, we are also engaged here in rapidly expanding road connectivity. In the same vein, today approval has been given for the 4-lane Sahibganj-Areraj-Bettiah. This will not only create new opportunities for employment and business in the state, but will also provide new strength to the agriculture sector," Modi wrote on X.
The four-lane greenfield highway will span 78.942 km under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) with a capital cost of Rs 3,822.31 crore, linking Patna to Bettiah and enhancing access to northern districts and the Indo-Nepal border.
Modi also praised the Cabinet’s approval of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) scheme on “Capacity Building and Human Resource Development,” which carries an outlay of Rs 2,277.397 crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26. The scheme aims to energise India’s R&D ecosystem, covering national laboratories, Institutes of National Importance, Institutes of Eminence, universities, and research institutions.
"The Union Cabinet's approval for the DSIR Scheme 'Capacity Building and Human Resource Development' will add vigour to India's R&D ecosystem, with a focus on a culture of innovation as well as excellence," he said on X.
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