Cabinet Approves Noida Metro Extension and Museum Funding
The Union Cabinet approved a major metro extension and a new national museum. It also increased fertiliser subsidies and extended entrepreneurship schemes.
The Union Cabinet has approved an 8.449-km extension of the Noida Metro Aqua Line from Noida Sector 51 to Greater Noida Sector 4. The project will cost Rs 2,390 crore. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decisions following a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a separate move, the cabinet cleared Rs 3,230 crore for developing the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum in Delhi's historic North and South Block buildings. The museum is scheduled for completion by March 2031 and aims to be the world's largest in display area, showing India's civilisational history spanning 10,000 years.
Project scope and timeline
The metro extension will be an raised corridor with five new stations. Construction is expected to take four years. Upon completion, the total operational metro network in Noida and Greater Noida will expand to 71.878 kilometres. The project includes an interchange with the Delhi Metro's Blue Line at Noida Sector 61.
Connectivity and economic impact
The extension is designed to connect key commercial, residential, educational, and healthcare hubs. Officials state it will reduce traffic congestion, travel time, and carbon emissions while stimulating economic activity.
| Category | Facilities Connected |
|---|---|
| Commercial Hubs | Gaur City Mall, H&S Mall, Blue Sapphire Mall, IKEA (Noida Sector 51), Anthurium Mall (Sector 73), Golden I (Greater Noida Sector 4) |
| IT & Offices | Tech Mahindra, TCL Tech (Sector 60), Oil Industry Development Board (Sector 73) |
| Educational | Delhi Public School (Sector 122) |
| Healthcare | Kailash Hospital, Rama Hospital (Sectors 70 & 62), Cloud9 Hospital (Sector 51) |
| Residential | Gaur City 1 & 2 (Greater Noida Sector 4), Cleo County (Sector 122) |
Broader policy approvals
The cabinet made several other significant financial decisions. It approved a 64.3% increase in the fertiliser subsidy budget for the 2026-27 Rabi season. The allocation for phosphatic and potassic fertilisers under the Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme rises to Rs 62,370 crore, up from Rs 37,952 crore the previous season. This increase comes amid international market disruptions following US-Israel attacks on Iran in February and restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Two credit guarantee schemes were also extended. The credit guarantee fund under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana will continue until March 2031, supported by a Rs 5,000 crore corpus to facilitate loans worth Rs 12.6 lakh crore. The Stand-Up India Scheme, which promotes entrepreneurship among women and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, was extended for five years with a Rs 4,111 crore corpus. It aims to support 2.5 lakh additional entrepreneurs, having already facilitated loans to over 2.75 lakh since 2016.
The extension will connect commercial hubs including Gaur City Mall, H&S Mall, Blue Sapphire Mall, IKEA in Noida Sector 51, and Anthurium Mall in Noida Sector 73.
