A white paper on rail safety would be presented in Parliament during the current Budget session for a threadbare debate taking into consideration all aspects of passengers' protection, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.\n\n\n\n
Speaker Meira Kumar said in her valedictory address that the Lok Sabha lost over 23 hours and 34 minutes due to interruptions and forced adjournments, but it sat late for 30 hours and 52 minutes to transact important financial and other business.
We have only rationalised the freight rates, says the minister.
"The running of Bharat Teerth is to emphasise our unity in diversity and bring to reality Kabiguru's (Rabindranath Tagore) words in our national anthem Punjab Sindhu Gujarat Maratha, Dravida Utkala Banga, Vindhya Himachal Yamuna Ganga," railway minister Mamata Banerjee said.
"Yes, it is almost that," senior CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia told reporters when asked whether the Budget was the Trinamool Congress' manifesto for the Assembly polls. However, Acharia and CPI national secretary D Raja welcomed several 'positive' features like no raise in passenger fares or freight charges and the concessions given to various sections of people.
The next government should view Indian Railways as a strategic tool, not legacy problem.
If the current revenue figures are any yardstick to go by, Railways could just about miss their target for the present fiscal ahead of the Rail Budget.
The Indian Railways will develop few stations which will be at par with global standard.
'The economy has to become the government's No. 1 priority, which it is not at the moment,' says T N Ninan.
The Indian Railways on Wednesday said it suffered an estimated loss of Rs 13,675 crore (Rs 136.75 billion) in the current fiscal on account of various social service obligations, including suburban and non-suburban services.
With people reposing faith in the UPA and voting for stability, this is the government's chance to fulfill its promises, ensure growth and development of the country, check runaway prices, and offer succour to the aam aadmi.
'China is struggling to get out of its property bubble.' 'Japan took 35 years to walk out of its equity bubble.' 'Bubbles can be difficult to forecast.'
The Budget is expected to make some key announcements, including relief package for farmers, poor and sops for the middle-class.
From filling vacancies in government jobs to providing a minimum support income of Rs 72,000 per year for the poor families, the party went all out to woo the voters.
Mumbai rail service may get a facelift as the Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav announces the Phase II of developmental plans this Budget.
The Railway Budget for 2003-04 proposes no increase in passenger fares and freight rates.
Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal spoke with the media about his privatisation plan, safety road map and innovation strategy.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday welcomed Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's announcement that there was no move to privatise the railway sector.
Be it passengers or freight or even commercial utilisation of Railways' properties and premises, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday demonstrated his uncanny ways of making money.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad was at his humourous best while presenting the Interim Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha on Friday, with a fair sprinkling of quotable quotes, couplets and witty replies to interventions.
Slamming the Union budget as 'insipid' and lacking in stimulus for growth, the Congress on Saturday said it does not address the main issue of unemployment and describes the mindset of the government.
'Investors should not go for lump-sum investments in infrastructure funds at this point.' 'The SIP route is the best to avoid any major disappointment.'
The premium trains will be the focus area as the project has been the revenue generator for the loss-making passenger operations
A bill to allow merging of some villages and mandals of Telangana with Seemandhra in a bid to deal with resettlement and rehabilitation those displaced by the Polavaram power project was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid din.
As far as rolling stock programme is concerned, the announcement will be made for manufacturing of 4200 new coaches including 600 LHB coaches in the Rail Budget.
Railways proposed to introduce 32 new trains including 17 Samparak Kranti Express linking several state capitals and different parts of the country with the Union Capital.
The period of advance booking under the Tatkal Scheme is being reduced from the current 5 days to 2 days. Tatkal tickets will be made available destination-wise instead of from end to end thereby reducing the financial burden on passengers.
The 66-year-old finance minister underwent a successful kidney transplant surgery in mid-May and was on leave since April due to kidney-related problems and chest infection.
The Rs 10,807-crore (Rs 108.07 billion) budget for implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and to fund various ongoing projects was passed by a voice vote. Some members were not satisfied with the budget. The BJD members walked out alleging that Orissa had been ignored.
The Economic Survey 2007-08 has some interesting insights for infrastructure aficionados.
The Budget may see new rural schemes and stepping up of funding towards existing programmes like MNREGA, rural housing, irrigation projects and crop insurance.
The Railways have slashed service charges levied on purchase of e-tickets by half from April 1.
"Railways has received a request from the government of West Bengal to set up a coach factory in Singur," Banerjee said while presenting the rail budget for 2010-11 in Parliament.
The Rail Budget is full of hollow promises, the Congress leader said.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday left freight rates unchanged in his interim budget to keep traffic from shifting to road transport that has become cheaper following cut in diesel prices.
Struggling to make ends meet, the railways have demanded a doubling of gross budgetary support from the government.
The Lok Sabha will apply guillotine on discussions on demands for grants by the third week so as to complete the entire budgetary process in Parliament by July 27.
RailYatri offers a host of travel-related services to a 4.5 million user base. Shine Jacob finds out what's next for the app.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has called for speedy implementation of key railway projects, such as the Dedicated Freight Corridor, high-speed rail corridors, rolling stock and other capacity enhancement works.
India's cargo trains run at 19-30 km an hour, they run at 120 km in China - and the difference is only growing.
