At the NDTV World Summit 2026, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responds to criticism by former Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara over delays in India’s Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train project. Vaishnaw defends India’s execution of the high-speed rail project, highlights praise from Japanese engineers and international rail experts, and explains the delays, citing the complexity of the project, the Covid pandemic and land-related challenges in Maharashtra.