Union Minister for Railways D V Sadananda Gowda presented his maiden Budget on Tuesday, highlighting the government's ambitious plans.
Here are the highlights:
- Grateful to honourable PM Narendra Modi ji for having given me this opportunity and for entrusting me with this responsibility
- I can get claps from this house by announcing many new projects but that would be rendering injustice to the struggling organization
- The fare revision was tough but a necessary decision - it will bring Indian Railways an additional revenue of 8,000 crores
Increased Funds to Ensure Passenger Amenities and Cleanliness:
- Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom
- It gives me immense pleasure to present my first Railway Budget flooded with suggestion for new trains, new railway lines
- We now target to become the largest freight carrier in the world
- Indian railways carry only 31% of the total freight in the country. It is a challenge we have to face
- 5 lakh crore required each year for the next ten years for ongoing projects alone
- 23 paisa lost per passenger per km in 2012-13
- Social obligation of Railways in 2013-14 was Rs. 20,000 crore
- Focus on sanctioning projects rather than completing them
- The more projects we add the thinner we spread our resources
- Indian Railways carries more than the entire population of Australia in a day
- Populist projects and mismanagement have brought Railways to point of funds crunch
- This state of affairs in railways needs immediate course correction
- Gross traffic receipts in 2013-14 was Rs. 1.3 lakh crore, operating ratio was 94 per cent
- Indian Railways spent Rs. 41,000 crore on laying of 3,700 km of new lines in last 10 years
- Need to explore alternative sources of resource mobilisation and not depend on fare hike alone
- Large part of the budget outlay to go to safety projects
- Maximum financial outlays for projects slated for completion in this area itself
- High priority areas - safety, cleanliness, passenger amenities and capacity augmentation
- Future projects to be financed on public-private partnership model
- Plans to attract investment from domestic and foreign players in infrastructure; focus to be on aggressive indigenisation
- FY15 Total Expenditure Pegged At Rs.1.49 lakh crore
- FY15 total receipts pegged at Rs.1.64 lakh crore
- Propose to hike budgetary plan outlay to Rs.47,650 crore
- FY15 passenger fare revenue pegged at Rs.44,600 crore
- Pre-cooked meals by reputed brands, focus on cleanliness and passenger feedback
- Outsource cleaning activities at 50 major stations, separate housekeeping wing for cleanliness and sanitation
- CCTVs to be used for monitoring cleanliness
- RO Drinking water at stations and trains
- Corporates encouraged to adopt stations for better maintenance and upkeep
Safety for Women Passengers:
- 17,000 Railway Protection Force personnel to be available soon
- Introduction of women RPF constables, coaches meant for women to be escorted for greater safety
Bullet train:
- Indian Railways on course to fulfill its long cherished dream. I propose a Bullet train on the Ahmedabad - Mumbai sector
- Higher speed for existing trains will be achieved by upgrading the present networks
Reservation system will be revamped:
- Railways to scale down market borrowings to Rs. 11,790 crore
- Reservation system will be revamped and ticket-booking through mobile phones and post offices popularised
- Wi-fi Services in all A Category stations and trains
- To Have Diamond Quadrilateral Network for High-speed Trains
- Digital Reservation Charts at stations
- Parcel traffic separated to requisite terminals, dedicated trains running on fixed timetable
- New design of parcel vans -- measures taken in order to improve earnings from the parcel system
- Special initiatives via the PPP mode for transport of fruits and vegetables and milk
- Bio-diesel upto 5% to be used in diesel locomotives
- 23 projects underway in North-East. Propose to allocate higher funds than previous year for these projects
- Future e-Ticketing to support 7200 tickets per minute and to allow 1.2 lakh simultaneous users
- Dedicated freight corridor projects will be closely monitored
- Experimental stoppages to be reviewed solely on the basis of feasibility and viability after 3 months
- Government to make e-procurement compulsory for procurements over Rs. 25 lakh
- GIS Mapping and digitisation of Railway Land
- 18 new line surveys, 10 surveys for doubling 3rd and 4th lines and gauge conversion.
- Office-on-Wheels; internet and workstation facilities on select trains.
- Setting up of logistic parks, private freight terminals on PPP model
- Connectivity to ports through PPP, procurement of parcel vans and rakes by private parties for resource augmentation
- Will offer wifi-services in all 'A' category trains and A1 stations.
- To have digital reservation charts at stations.
- Working on making railway offices paperless in five years
- e-Ticketing through mobile phones will be popularized.
