New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on August 20 announced that as many as 12,000 trains will be operated for Bihar on the occasion of Deepawali [Diwali] and Chhath festivals.
This announcement comes after he held discussions with the Bihar NDA leaders. The NDA delegation who met with the Railway Minister included of Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, JDU MP Sanjay Jha, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
Four Amrit Bharat trains will be launched to connect Delhi and Gaya, Saharsa to Amritsar, Chhapra to Delhi and Muzaffarpur to Hyderabad, the railway minister said, adding that a Vande Bharat train will be started between Purnia and Patna.
“It was decided that 12,000 special trains will be run for the upcoming Diwali and Chhath festivals. 12,000 special trains so that passengers do not face any kind of inconvenience on these two big festivals… Those who will travel between 13th and 26th October and return between 17th November and 1st December will be given confirmed tickets, and a 20% discount will be given on the return journey. This experiment is also being done during this festival season,” Vaishnaw said.
NDA सरकार बिहार के विकास के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है
✅ दिवाली और छठ पूजा के लिए 12,000 स्पेशल ट्रेन सेवाएं
✅ 4 नई अमृत भारत एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन
✅ 1 नई वंदे भारत (पूर्णिया से पटना)
✅ 1 बुद्ध सर्किट ट्रेन (वैशाली से कोडरमा) pic.twitter.com/Bnffbt93v8— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 20, 2025
In a post on X, Vaishnaw said that a special Buddha Circuit Train will be launched from Vaishali to Koderma, connecting key heritage destinations related to Lord Buddha. “The NDA government is committed to the development of Bihar,” said the Railway Minister
Earlier today, Vaishnaw said that the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, is a significant bill aimed at regulating online gaming, recognising its growing importance in the digital sector.
“The bill identifies three segments within online gaming,” the minister told reporters after the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The Minister said that E-sports are rapidly gaining prominence and will receive legal recognition. Online social games, which are played without monetary stakes are also to be promoted for family and friendly interaction.
“Online money games, which have become a major societal concern due to addiction and financial losses, leading to extreme cases, including suicides,” the minister said. The World Health Organization has classified this as a public health issue termed “online gaming disorder”, the minister said.
(With inputs from ANI)
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