Semicon 2.0, Varanasi projects, rail upgrades & more: All about 7 big decisions cleared by Cabinet

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved seven major decisions covering infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, mobile phone production, fertiliser and railway projects. The package includes Semicon 2.0, the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) and the National Investment Policy for Urea-2026, with a combined outlay of Rs 2,19,353 crore.The announcements came during a press briefing after the Cabinet and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Addressing the briefing, Vaishnaw said, “I am presenting before you the seven major decisions taken by the Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”The seven major Cabinet decisions include:

The first two Cabinet decisions relate to major infrastructure projects in Varanasi aimed at developing the city. The cabinet has approved the construction of a 46.039-km link corridor connecting National Highway-19 (NH-19) with the Varanasi Ring Road. The project, aimed at easing traffic congestion in Varanasi, will also provide connectivity along the Ganga riverbank.The corridor will feature a six-lane elevated carriageway, an iconic cable-stayed bridge, an extradosed foot over bridge-cum-major bridge, along with loops, ramps, link roads and service roads. It will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) at a total cost of Rs 14,447.64 crore, including Rs 6,037.85 crore for civil construction (excluding GST and including utility shifting) and Rs 541.11 crore towards land acquisition under NH(O).Announcing these decisions the minister said, “The first two decisions relate to a programme for developing infrastructure in Varanasi (Kashi) in a completely new way. The third, fourth, and fifth decisions relate to the Semicon 2.0 Mission (Semiconductor 2.0 Mission), which was approved today.”The IT minister further added that the Cabinet approved the second edition of the India Semiconductor Mission, or Semicon 2.0 Mission, with an outlay of Rs 1.27 lakh crore. Alongside, the chip push, minister Vaishnaw also announced extention of the Mobile PLI scheme, with Rs 62,500 crore laid out for its second edition.Vaishnaw further said, “The fourth decision is the approval of the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme. The fifth decision is aimed at making India self-reliant in urea, for which the National Investment Policy for Urea was approved today. The sixth and seventh decisions relate to proposals for the upgradation of the railway network, including track doubling and the construction of a fourth railway line.” Cabinet approved National Investment Policy for urea, under which 9 new urea plants will be set up. The initiative will help achieve 1 crore additional urea requirement, to help India become self-reliant in urea demand.The cabinet gave green signal for the construction of a 6-/4-lane elevated corridor along the Varuna riverbank in Uttar Pradesh. The project, to be executed under the Hybrid Annuity Model, includes ramps and loops and will be built at a total capital cost of Rs 10,998.32 crore.On the railway infrastructure front, Cabinet approved two projects. Minister Vaishnaw announced doubling the Paradeep-Haridaspur railway line at a cost of Rs 2,542 crore and fourth railway line between Dangoaposi and Rajkharsawan, involving an investment of Rs 1,365 crore.