Title - Lok Sabha passes Railway Budget

New Delhi : The Lok Sabha passed the Railway Budget 2013-14 on Tuesday, by negating all the cut-motions.The motion was moved by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. Earlier, the opposition, including the BJP, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, BJD, DMK and AIADMK staged a walk out.The House has now taken up the General Budget which is scheduled to be passed in a short while from now.The Lower House has also dispensed with the need to have a discussion on the two Financial Bills this time. The highlights of the Railway Budget 2013-14 were as follows:
67 new express trains
27 passenger trains
8 DEMUs
Operating ratio of 88.8 percent achieved
Dividend reduced from 5 to 4 percent
Electrification of 1,200 km to be completed this year
72 additional suburban services in Mumbai and 18 in Kolkata
An independent Rail Tariff Authority formalised
Dynamic fuel adjustment component to be introduced on freight rates from
April one, that will result in less than five per cent increase in rates
Diesel price hike added Rs 3,300 crore to fuel bill of Railways
Railway revenues to show a balance of Rs 12,506 crore in 2013-14
Planned investment of Rs 63,363 crore for 2013-14, including Rs 600 crore
from PPP route
Operating ratio expected to improve to 87.8 per cent in 2013-14 from 88.8
per cent in the current fiscal
5.2 per cent growth in passenger traffic expected in 2013-14
Railway hopes to end 2013-14 with a balance of Rs 12,506 crore
Rs.100 crore for improving stations in New Delhi
Railways to set up a Debt Service Fund
Freight earning to grow by 9 per cent to Rs 93,554 crore.
Freight target fixed at 1,047 MT for 2013-14, 40 MT over the current year
Marginal increase in cancellation, reservation charges
No fresh hike in passenger fares
Modest 5-6% hike in passenger fares will add to corpus, and translate
into better amenities
Rs. 3,000 crore loan from Finance Ministry re-paid with interest by
Railways this financial year.
Indian Railway Institute for Financial Management to be set up at
Secunderabad to train rail officers on a regular basis
Railway Energy Management Company to be set up to harness solar and wind
energy
47,000 vacancies for weaker sections and physically challenged to be
filled up soon
New coach manufacturing and maintenance facilities to be set up in
various places including Rae Bareli, Bhilwara, Sonepat, Kalahandi, Kolar,
Palakkad and Pratapgarh
Rs 9000 crore investments expected including Rs 3,800 crore in port
connectivity and Rs 800 crore in iron ore mines connectivity
Allocation of Rs 1,000 crore each made for railway land development
authority and railway station development authority.
Railways set to enter 1 billion ton freight club of China, Russia and US
Common rail-bus ticket to be introduced for Katra-Vaishnodevi pilgrims
New train Azadi Express to places linked with the freedom struggle to be
introduced, fares to be concessional
Internet booking to be provided from 0030 hours to 2330 hours
Internet booking to be strengthened with next-generation e-ticketing
system to eliminate delays
Special A/C coaches 'Anubhuti', to be introduced in select Shatabdi and
Rajdhani trains to give excellent ambience with commensurate fare
Railways will use Aadhar data base for bookings and validation of
passengers
SMS alert service being rolled out shortly to intimate passengers about
reservation status
Free wi-fi facility to be provided in select trains
Plan to allow e-ticketing via mobile phones
Railway committed to bring marked change in passenger amenities
Seventeen bridges identified for repair
Smoke and fire detection system envisaged
Fire extinguishers to be kept in guard vans
Aim to eliminate 31,846 level crossings
Identification of 104 stations for upgradation in places with more than
one million population and of religious significance
Railways to set up six more Rail Neer bottling plants
10 percent reservation for women in RPF
Presence of women in RPF to go up
Plan for elephant corridor safety
Corporate safety plan proposed
Railway safety fund inadequate
Fall in accidents - per million accidents down from .41 to .13
There has been significant drop in train accidents
Rs. 95,000 crore shortfall, meeting this shortfall will mean a paradigm
shift
Rs 1 lakh crore to be raised from public-private partnership, Rs 1.05
lakh crore through internal resources in the 12th Plan
12th Plan railway size to be Rs 5.19 lakh crore, with gross budgetary
support of Rs 1.94 lakh crore (ANI)