Experts say Prabhu displays a clear intent of reforms but has not been able to fully shake-up the mammoth railway system.
The rising steel prices have adversely affected many ongoing railway projects across the country. "We have revised the price variation clause for all our future projects so that work does not suffer due to abrupt market fluctuation," said a senior railway ministry official.
In the current fiscal, as per the revised estimate, these two companies raised Rs 14,942 crore (Rs 149.42 billion) from markets.
According to the target set by the Prime Minister, contracts for the Sonnagar-Dankuni section of the Dedicated Freight Corridor, elevated rail corridor in Mumbai and locomotive factories in Madhepura and Marhowra should be awarded this year.
Rising energy demand could tilt India's energy basket towards fossil fuels from coal to oil, natural gas.
Passenger amenities, safety and security will have priorities in the next Railway budget which is likely to be presented on July 1, Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has said.
Siemens delivered a strong margin performance and also reported high other income to beat consensus in the January-March quarter (Q2) of FY24 (the company's year-end is September 30). In addition, it has opted to demerge the energy vertical with a 1:1 award of shares in the newly demerged entity which will be listed by the end of this year (CY25).
Although a detailed blueprint is yet to be created, sources familiar with thedevelopments said companies would initially be roped in to augment the basic rail infrastructure in industrial areas such as mining zones.
Stocks in the automotive, financial, cement, metal, and hotel sectors are likely to benefit if the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes back to power for a third time. The key investment themes have been identified after analysing the Sankalp Patra - the party's manifesto for the next five years - released on Sunday.
Relying on the private sector to undertake infrastructure investment may not be a realistic proposition.
The rivalry between the local leaders of the two parties could be a cause of concern for Shinde.
The government has alerted Naxal-affected states against possible Maoist attacks on railway networks, in the wake of Left-wing extremists targeting a Rajdhani Express train in Bihar, by blasting the rail tracks. The home ministry has issued the alert to West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, apprehending attacks by Naxals on trains and railway infrastructure, as any sabotage on the network can result in large-scale damages, official sources said.
'The government must understand that the Indian Railways is like a Kamdhenu cow. It can look after your GDP, it can look after the health of the nation. But the Kamdhenu cow also needs nourishment.' 'You have not at all looked after the Indian Railways, you have ill treated the Indian Railways, you have mistreated the Indian Railways and you have given the Indian Railways step motherly treatment.' 'I don't think this government has understood the Indian Railways.'
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Friday ruled out a hike in train fares, saying a move to that effect was not a solution for improving the fiscal health of the country's largest public transporter.
Be it roads, railways, ports, civil aviation, energy or electricity, the Narendra Modi govt has invigorated all these sectors since it took over, says Arvind Panagariya.
The CM said aggressive investment is the need of the hour
The ambitious Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion), 3,289 km Dedicated Freight Corridors are a case in point. Although the project started under former railway minister Lalu Prasad and was renamed Diamond Rail Corridors by incumbent Mamata Banerjee, not a single project has been awarded yet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for electing a strong and stable government in an uncertain world beset by geopolitical tensions as the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday released its manifesto, prioritising development and welfare while shunning populist measures and contentious issues like the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Cyber cafes will be opened at 50 railway stations during the current financial year by RailTel, a company under the Railway Ministry, which has made considerable progress in creating nationwide state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure.
BJP IT department head Amit Malviya shared on Twitter what he said were the details of accidents under these ministers and added such 'worthies' are the ones demanding the resignation of the 'most qualified' railway minister the country has had in seven and half decades.
Three years from now, Indian railway network will be based on sophisticated, hi-tech and indigenously developed infrastructure ensuring safety of every passenger.
With land acquisition completed and infrastructure work streamlined, India's bullet train dreams are slowly, but finally, inching closer to reality.
7 key areas that the Budget must address to re-energise the infrastructure sector, suggests Vinayak Chatterjee.
The Rs 63,000-cr Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor and Rs 14,000-cr CSTM-Panvel suburban corridor are two of the largest projects.
Elaborating on this theme, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan pointed out that if the power sector had not been opened up through reforms initiated in 2003, India would still have been in darkness.
To facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) in high- speed rail projects, the government is likely to allow private sector entry in operations.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were also present with the PM as he interacted with the students inside the train.
The Western Railway is awaiting clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety, for running trains on this high-speed corridor at 130 kmph which will help cut down travel time by atleast 30 minutes.
A look at few marquee projects that are stuck for several reasons.
If 4,000 workers could work round the clock for the construction of the new Parliament building, then there is no reason why all infrastructure projects too cannot follow that model, asserts Dr Sudhir Bisht.
The next government should view Indian Railways as a strategic tool, not legacy problem.
The invitation was extended by Sir Richard Stagg when he called on Mamata Banerjee at the Rail Bhawan on Thursday.
In the wake of a series of Maoist attacks on trains and rail infrastructure, the railway ministry is likely to seek deployment of paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force to guard its tracks and property in the Naxal-hit areas.
ADB was urged to take up the Railways sector.
With US-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla scouting for a suitable location for its foray in India, Rajasthan has joined the fray with a host of offers to woo the Elon Musk-led company. Other challengers include Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. Sources privy to the development said that an initial meeting between the senior executives of Tesla and the government of Rajasthan, which was held last week, turned out to be "quite positive." Tesla would now carry out a survey and is expected to share the survey details with the state's investment promotion department soon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said re-developed railway stations would become iconic structures and centres of economic activity.
'I think governments -- whether this one or the ones earlier -- have not understood the strength of the Indian Railways... that it can easily add 2.5 per cent to GDP.'
The Opposition party asked whether the prime minister will take responsibility for the 'deadliest rail tragedy' of this century.
Besides facilitating travel by easing the traffic bottlenecks, the approved lines would help the upcoming industries in the region.
