Carrying 180 tonnes of onions, the first Kisan train of the Western Railways left for Guwahati from Indore on Tuesday.
A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) based initiative announced in the union budget this year, Kisan Rail is meant for speedy transportation of perishable items like vegetables, fruits, flowers, milk and fish.
Under the Atmnirbhar Bharat project, the train will leave every Tuesday till February 2021 from the Laxmibai Nagar railway station in Indore, officials from the Railways said on the occasion.
To benefit farmers, the Railways will extend 50% subsidy of the freight charges. With 20 coaches, the train left with 18 tonnes of onion to Guwahati in 18 coaches on Tuesday. The vacant two coaches will load crop from the intermediary stations.
After leaving from Indore, the special train has will halt at Bairagarh, Bina, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Barabanki, Chhapra Gramin, Hajipur, Katihar, Kishanganj and New Jalpaigudi stations.
“One needs at least 150 tonnes of goods to book a train and as farmers were not in a position to book their crops, we used two middlemen but in future the farmers’ groups will be contacted directly,” DRM Ratlam division Vivek Gupta said while flagging off the train.
“These trains will boost inter-state trade and will help in realising PM Narendra Modi’s dream of self-reliant India,” BJP MP of Indore Shankar Lalwani said.
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