GD Topic Series:RAILWAY BUDGET 2015-16

Highlights of RAILWAY BUDGET 2015-16

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu in his first Rail Budget unexpectedly avoided any hike in passenger fares and announced a slew of passenger services aimed at improving the travelling experience of the commuters.

Blending investment and technology, the minister announced several steps to revamp the facilities at the railway stations, ticketing and other passenger services. Higher involvement of the private sector in railways functioning is also one of the key elements of the railway budget for 2015-16.

Here are 25 key highlights:

1.  Rs 8.56 lakh crore investment plan for the period 2015-2019

2. To increase daily passenger carrying capacity from 21 million to 30 million in 5 years

3. Increase track length by 20% to 1,38,000 kms over next 5 years

4. To increase freight carrying capacity from 1 billion to 1.5 billion tones in 5 years

5. Plant proposed to convert waste to energy

6. 17,000 toilets in coaches to be replaced by bio-toilets

7. All-India 24/7 helpline number 138 to be launched

8. Toll free number 182 to be launched for women and safety issues

9. “Operation 5 minutes” and hot button for purchase of universal tickets

10. Online booking of retiring rooms and wheelchairs on select stations

11. Rs 120 crore to equip major stations with lifts and escalators

12. Allotment for passenger amenities raised by 67%

13. Open bids for station development

14. 84% rise in capital allotment to develop 1200 kms at Rs 8686 crore

15. Evaluation studies undertaken for bullet trains

16. Innovation council called Kayakalp to promote technology development and manufacturing

17. Railway research centers to be set up in select universities

18. Introduction of bar coded/RFID for tracking of parcels and freight wagons

19. Up gradation of equipment for examination of tracks

20. To tap insurance and pension funds and also multi-lateral and bi-lateral funds

21. Development of unmanned audio and visual warning system at unmanned crossings with ISRO

22. Special training in soft skills for front-line staff

23. To set up full-fledged university in 2015-16

24. Setting up environment directorate for focus on environment management

25. 1,000 MW solar plant with the help of MNRE

FIVE YEAR'S PLAN LAYOUT:

Railway Minister plan to transform the railways with view point to ensure the functioning of policies and a gradual approach towards modernization.

These measures also helps in building partnership with key stake holders i.e state,PSU, multi & bilateral organizations and he state & other  governments to gain  access  to long term financing and technology from overseas. 

View Points & challenges:

Though the slew of measures suggested by Rail Minister is long in list, but People had hope somewhere for more no. of trains which has not been done now. on looking towards today's growing population , this is one of the pertinent problem faced by commuters on daily basis because of lack of frequency of  trains which leads to hassle during travelling or availability of accommodation on trains which paves the way for middlemen to black the tickets which  is unaffordable to the real needy commuters. Increasing the number of trains and to ensure their functioning automatically remove various problems associated with middlemen which is often faced by commuters. Once the demand and supply law has been fulfilled and ensuring their viability there is no question of corruption. Also for the time being The bullet trains projects can be delayed  because the emphasis should be given to first consolidate the financial status of Railway in realistic basis rather than optimistic basis and also as the general class passengers  in which majority of  country people use the Railways as the Primary mode of  travel so that general public should be getting some relief in spite of focusing on business class facilities and luxuries focused to premium trains which can be enjoyed by only a group of society rather than a common man.

CHALLENGES

The ambitious target that the minister has set is the more than 3 percentage point improvement in operating ratio.

Operating ratio is a key metric that measures the efficiency of railways. The railways' operating ratio for 2014-15 is estimated to be 91.8 percent. This means of Re 1 it earned, 91.8 paise is utilized to meet various expenses and only 8.2 paise has been saved. The minister wants to improve this ratio to 88.5 percent next year.

To achieve this target, the railways will have to aggressively contain its working expenses which is apparently too optimistic rather than realistic.

Conclusion:

I believe Indian railways need to speed up decision making, tightening accountability and improve the communication system through which information is transferred. Also training and development can be the part of new system with proper HR team managing the full department. Transparency in the government system is also expected by the public. I would like to hear the views from other colleagues so that the discussion can be fruitful. Please use the comment section for the same.

About the Author:  Surya Deo Mishra is a mechanical engineer and a die heart defense aspirant. He loves travelling and playing volley ball. This article is a way to help defense aspirants to present his critical views on the topic, on the forum so that collective exchange of thoughts can take place. (Edited and reviewed by Jayendra Pratap Singh)