Eastern Railway's ₹12,000 crore plan targets route capacity

Of the total, about ₹10,000 crore is going into 563 km of line expansion, while another ₹2,000 crore funds 10 bypass projects, an official said. Pandey framed the investment in broader economic terms. "Trains connect markets, people and aspirations," she said, adding that a stronger rail network would cut logistics costs and sharpen manufacturing competitiveness.

She urged MSMEs to build innovative products and cost-effective solutions to deepen their economic role.

Separately, P K Das, Director of MSME DFO, Kolkata, briefed the gathering on the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, recently passed by Parliament. The bill targets the long-standing problem of delayed payments to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.