Pragmatic railway budget.

Pragmatic Railway Budget

The Railway Minister D.V.Sadananda Gouda has presented a pragmatic railway budget.It is for the first time in recent years that the government has not gone for populism by announcing new projects and maintaining the railway fare. The NDA government has rightly raised the railway fare and freight rates earlier without making it part of the railway budget. The emphasis on safety, better catering facilities and cleanliness is new and timely. As you have pointed out (Getting on board, IE,9/7) the budget should have mentioned a scheme to use the land surrounding the railway stations especially in the major cities to raise resources for the improvement of railway services in the country. PPP and FDI can bring in more resources to the railway, but corporatisation of the railway would have enabled it to raise finances from the market and helped it in increasing the efficiency of its services to the people. Railway network, postal network and the administrative set up (bureaucracy, the steel-frame) are the British legacy to India, and all of them have been neglected, if not degraded, since Independence. It is time all the three are strengthened to build a strong and prosperous India.

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/getting-on-board/

July 9,2014.

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