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Cabinet Clears Big Ticket Push For Farmers, Railways And Cleaner Coal

Anirudh Jain - Kolkata Bureau Published May 13, 2026, 08:31 AM Updated Sep 18, 2026, 06:23 AM

The Union Cabinet has approved a series of high value measures, including a common grade rice purchase price of ₹2,441 per 100 kg, a semi high speed double line rail project worth ₹206.65 billion, an MSP outlay of ₹2.60 trillion for summer crops in 2026 to 27 and a coal gasification scheme of ₹375 billion. The decisions combine farm support, infrastructure expansion and energy transition under one policy basket.

Together, the moves signal the government’s intent to back rural incomes while continuing to spend heavily on transport and cleaner fuel technologies. Higher support prices are expected to cushion farmers from cost pressures, while rail and coal gasification investments target long term productivity and energy security.

Stronger Price Support For Farmers

By approving a common grade rice purchase price of ₹2,441 per 100 kg and an overall minimum support price outlay of ₹2.60 trillion for summer crops in 2026 to 27, the government is reinforcing the MSP framework as a key income safety net. This will shape procurement operations, sowing decisions and rural demand, especially in major paddy and summer crop belts.

Semi High Speed Rail Capacity Boost

The green light for a semi high speed double line project worth ₹206.65 billion is aimed at decongesting a busy corridor, cutting travel times and allowing more passenger and freight trains. Doubling and upgrading the route supports regional connectivity, industrial clusters and logistics efficiency, which can feed into broader economic growth.

Coal Gasification For Cleaner Energy Use

The ₹375 billion coal gasification scheme is designed to promote cleaner and more efficient domestic coal utilisation by converting it into syngas and other value added products. This can reduce direct coal burning, support import substitution for certain fuels and chemicals and create new industrial linkages in the energy and fertiliser ecosystem.

Policy Package Highlights

Common grade rice purchase price set at ₹2,441 per 100 kg
MSP outlay of about ₹2.60 trillion approved for 2026 to 27 summer crops
Semi high speed double line rail project cleared at ₹206.65 billion
Coal gasification scheme worth ₹375 billion aimed at cleaner coal based fuels
Package blends farm income support with infrastructure and energy transition focus