Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday flagged off the Vande Bharat Express train from Himachal Pradesh’s Una to New Delhi. He also laid the   foundation stone of Rs 1,900 crore Bulk Drug Park in Una which is expected to attract an investment of Rs 10,000 crore in the hill state.

The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in Himachal Pradesh and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel.

Travel time between Chandigarh and Delhi will now reduce to less than three hours with the launch of Vande Bharat Express, which will run between the national capital and Amb Andaura (HP) via Chandigarh six days a week from October 19. The train accelerates to 100 km per hour in just 52 seconds.

This is the fourth Vande Bharat Express train to be introduced in the country but is a more advanced version as it is much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration. It will run six days a week except on Wednesdays, with stops at Ambala, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib, and Una.

The other three Vande Bharat Express trains are being run between New Delhi – Varanasi and New Delhi – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and between Gandhinagar and Mumbai.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Drug Park will be built at a cost of over Rs 1,900 crore. It will help reduce dependence on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) imports.

It is expected to attract investment of around Rs 10,000 crores and provide employment to more than 20,000 people. It will also give a fillip to economic activities in the region, said the PMO statement.

This is amongst only three bulk drug parks proposed for the country to reduce dependence of Active Pharma Ingredients (APIs) on foreign countries, especially China.

Himachal Pradesh is Asia’s largest pharma hub which requires Rs 30,000 to Rs3 5,000 worth APIs and raw materials every year.

The park to come up at Haroli, a sub-division of Una bordering Punjab will be a real game changer for the state.