Vicky Nanjappa profiles Narain Rao Manjunath, one of the key accused in the Railways bribery scandal.
Mumbai-Ahmedabad route selected for pilot project.
Maintaining that he was innocent, beleaguered former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was forced to resign in the wake of arrest of his nephew on bribery charge, today said "nothing will come out from this case".
The arrest of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew accepting a bribe of Rs 90 lakh has just added to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's woes. Sheela Bhatt profiles the bribe-giver
The Annual Plan for Railways in 2013-14 financial year is proposed at Rs 63,363 crore, Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday hinted at a hike in passenger fare as he asked Parliamentarians to be "realistic" if they want the railways to move forward.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested one more accused in the railway bribery scandal involving Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew and a board member, taking the total number of those apprehended to nine.
In a written reply to the House, Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the recommendations are presently under examination by the ministry.
Former Railway Ministers were not on the same track as incumbent Sadananda Gowda, calling the Rail budget "pro-rich" and a " Modi gadget" which has nothing new to offer.
Unlike the taint associated with run-of-the-mill politicians, Pawan Kumar Bansal had a certain image of "Mr Clean" and was known for being meticulous in work.
Hitting out at the government for the alleged involvement of the railway minister's nephew in a bribery case, opposition parties on Saturdat demanded that Pawan Kumar Bansal step down on moral grounds. The Bharatiya Janata Party accused the government of shamelessly using constitutional bodies to hide their corruption.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal did not hike passenger fares.
With a series of scams battering the government, Parliament was paralysed again on Monday, as an aggressive Opposition demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union ministers P K Bansal and Ashwani Kumar.
A more efficient and people sensitive Railway Services system is being rolled out with Next Generation technology, which would make e-ticketing possible through mobile phones as also provide SMS alerts on reservation status.
Railway officials said important projects at crucial stages would now be stuck for a long time.
Bansal said he would also pursue for the approval of projects identified as being of national importance, including the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh, Jammu-Poonch via Akhnoor, Tanakpur-Bageshwar and Parsuramkund-Rupai.
Analysts on Monday gave a mixed reaction to the railway budget, with some terming it as a "non-event" saying there were no radical measures to bridge the revenue deficit in the document, and a few calling it "pragmatic" given the limitations.
Steps to raise funds could include an across-the-board increase in railway fares, senior officials said.
A decision on Law Minister Ashwani Kumar's continuance in the Union cabinet will depend on the view taken by the Supreme Court on Wednesday when it examines the Central Bureau of Investigation affidavit on the coal blocks allocation report, the Congress said.
The bio-toilets, which have been indigenously developed by Indian Railways and DRDO, have been installed for in-service trials in nine trains, he said during Question Hour.
Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal will flag off the service after which he will take a ride on the inaugural 6:55pm train to Churchgate
As experts have to say, this year's Railway Budget will by no means a populist one.
On Wednesday, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced an across-the-board hike in fares of all classes from midnight of January 21 to net an additional Rs 6,600 crore (Rs 66 billion) a year.
The railways are in the process of forming a Rail Tariff Authority but Bansal said the fare rise would be independent of the formation.
Offering a bonanza for train travellers, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced that the Indian Railways will start new trains.
Faced with a dilemma over handing tickets to leaders facing allegations of corruption, Congress on Wednesday gave indications that while former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal could be re-nominated from Chandigarh, Pune MP Suresh Kalmadi may not be fielded in the upcoming polls.
The passengers will be able to register by providing the PNR and other details such as mobile phone number.
Referring to the recent hike in reservation and cancellation charges, the Railway Minister said it was necessary to deter the touts as they were selling tickets of Rs 500 at Rs 1500.
The political storm in the United Progressive Alliance government over Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi issue on Thursday gave an opportunity to the Bharatiya Janata Party to charge that the government is short of number and is shying away from facing the amendments to the President's address in Parliament.
P Chidamabaram's February 28 Budget will not have any big-ticket ideas, reports Sheela Bhatt
The probe into the bribery scandal that led to resignation of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is expected to be completed within three months, Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha said on Tuesday.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's announcement of fare hike with effect from January 21 midnight has been received with a sense of 'fait accompli' by suburban commuters' organisations in Mumbai.
A Delhi court on Thursday extended till July 19 the judicial custody of suspended Railway Board Member Mahesh Kumar and Vijay Singla, nephew of former railway minister P K Bansal, besides five others in the Rs 10 crore cash-for-post railway bribery case.
Effective from midnight of January 21, the hike will help railways earn an additional Rs 6,600 crore a year. Railway Minister P K Bansal said it was imperative.
The Delhi high court will on Friday hear the bail pleas of former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla and suspended Railway Board Member Mahesh Kumar and two other accused in the Rs 10 crore cash-for-post railway bribery case.
Bansal has been named as the 39th prosecution witness in the case in which Singla, the then Member (Staff) of Railway Board Mahesh Kumar and eight others have been chargesheeted for the offence of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Opposition parties in India have demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a stampede at New Delhi railway station killed 18 people. They blamed the government for "gross mismanagement" and accused them of "covering up" the death toll. The stampede occurred on Saturday night as passengers rushed to board trains for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj. The Congress, the Left, Trinamool Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have all criticized the government's handling of the situation, while BJP leaders have defended the government. The incident has highlighted the failure of the Railways and the government to make adequate arrangements for the large number of devotees travelling to Prayagraj.
Giving the clearest indication yet that Pawan Kumar Bansal would be its contestant of choice for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, the Congress on Thursday said that the purported "taint" on the former rail minister was all a matter of "speculation which has nothing to do with the truth".
Former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal was re-nominated by Congress from Chandigarh on Thursday brushing aside the "taint" argument as it released the second list of 71 candidates who include film star Nagma in Meerut and Youth Congress chief Rajeevv Satav from Hingoli.
Union Minister for Railway Pawan Kumar Bansal presented the Railway Budget for 2013-14 on Tuesday.
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