Page 6 - NIS English 1-15 July, 2026
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NEWS BRIEFS
Zojila Tunnel India’s Seafood Exports
A Landmark Engineering Hit All-Time High of
Achievement ₹74,000 Crore
India is consistently demonstrating its Despite challenging global market
engineering prowess. In India, tunnel conditions, India exported 19.72 Lakh
construction is not limited to infrastructure metric tonnes of seafood valued at
development; rather, geographical challenges ₹73,890.46 crore during the 2025-26 fiscal
are being overcome by piercing mountains year. This marks a record high in terms of
and rugged terrain that once hindered both volume and value. The United States
connectivity. Following the completion and China remained the leading importers
of the Atal Tunnel, Chenab Bridge, New of Indian seafood. Frozen shrimp remained
Pamban Bridge, and the Bairabi-Sairang the primary export commodity, generating
rail line, a historic breakthrough was over ₹49,000 crore in exports and
achieved on June 9 for Asia’s longest tunnel accounting for more than 40 per
– the Zojila Tunnel. This breakthrough cent of the total export volume.
symbolises not just construction progress
but India’s technical expertise, engineering
capability, and indomitable resolve. The
project is emerging as a crucial milestone in
establishing all-weather connectivity between
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Boosting strategic infrastructure will
accelerate regional development, tourism,
trade, and national security. Upon
completion, travel time between Sonamarg
and Minamarg will be reduced from nearly
two hours to about 30 minutes. Being
constructed on National Highway-1 between Target of 3 Crore
Baltal and Minamarg, the Zojila Tunnel ‘Lakhpati Didis’ Achieved
spans approximately 14 km and is being
developed at a cost of ₹6,800 crore. It is The country has achieved the target of
being built at altitudes ranging from 2,900 creating 3 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ (women
meters to 3,310 meters. earning an annual income of at least ₹1
lakh), and emphasis is now being placed
on fulfilling the resolve to create another 3
crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in mission mode. The
‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative has emerged as a
transformative campaign for the economic
empowerment of rural women. The priority
now is to link an additional 3 crore women
with sustainable and diverse livelihood
activities to ensure a continuous rise in their
income. Approximately 4.11 crore
potential ‘Lakhpati Didis’
have been identified across
the country, providing a
strong foundation for
achieving
the targets
of the next
phase.
4 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || July 1-15, 2026
