PM Modi inaugurated Bidar-Kalaburagi new Railway Line in Bidar, flags off first train in the route. Railway Minister also present. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated the Indian Railways’ 110km Bidar-Kalaburgi railway track in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region that is aimed at reducing the distance between Bengaluru and New Delhi by 380km and travel time by six to eight hours, IANS reports. The new track will provide direct rail connectivity from Bengaluru to Bidar in the state’s northern region, about 690km away from the state capital. The report says that work for the project had begun over two decades ago in 1996, but its construction work began only in 2000 and dragged on for years due to meagre fund allocation by the Railway Ministry. The delays in the project escalated its cost to a whopping Rs 1,542 crore from the original estimate of Rs 370 crore. Land acquisition between the towns also delayed its completion.

Earlier, Modi also launched the digitised cashless Self-Help Groups (SHG) transactions in the state Charitable trust of the Sree Kshetra Dharmastala Rural Development project is organising the public function and the launch of the Rupay cards and SHG transactions at the rally in Karnataka’s Ujire, about 50km from Mangaluru in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada.. “Now an era of digital currency has started, and India should not lag behind,” Modi said at the rally. Modi said digitisation was aimed at bringing in accountability and added that more cash would bring with it social evils.

Watch | PM dedicates the Bidar-Kalaburagi New Railway Line to the nation

Amid immense enthusiasm, PM @narendramodi dedicates the Bidar-Kalaburagi New Railway Line to the nation. pic.twitter.com/VywNyBZpTt — PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 29, 2017

Modi also highlighted the success of direct benefit transfer scheme and said because of the government’s efforts, Rs 57,000 crore “going into someone’s hand illegally” had been stopped and the money was now reaching the right beneficiary. “Now tell me, those people whose pocket the Rs 57,000 crore used to go to, will they like Modi? Will they not get angry with Modi?… Difficulties will come, but standing at this holy place I’m saying whether we are there or not, we will not let this country be destroyed,” he said.