Indian Railway Budget- 2013- Highlights- Important News

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal arrives in Parliament to present his maiden budget. 

Indian Railway Minister concludes his budget speech

67 new express trains to be introduced; 27 passenger trains, 8 DEMUs

 

Opposition disrupts Rail Budget speech over new train announcements

1. Operating ratio of 88.8 percent achieved
2. Dividend reduced from 5 to 4 percent
3. Electrification of 1,200 km to be completed this year
4. 72 additional suburban services in Mumbai and 18 in Kolkata
5. An independent Rail Tariff Authority has been formalised
6. 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
7. Diesel price hike added Rs 3,300 crore to fuel bill of Railways
8. Railway revenues to show a balance of Rs 12,506 crore in 2013-14
9. Planned investment of Rs 63,363 crore for 2013-14, including Rs 600 crore from PPP route
10. Operating ratio expected to improve to 87.8 per cent in 2013-14 from 88.8 per cent in the current fiscal
11. 5.2 per cent growth in passenger traffic expected in 2013-14
12. Railway hopes to end 2013-14 with a balance of Rs 12,506 crore
13. Rs.100 crore for improving stations in New Delhi
14. Railways to set up a Debt Service Fund
15. Freight earning to grow by 9 per cent to Rs 93,554 crore.
16. 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 
•  Facilities 

1. Internet booking to be provided from 0030 hours to 2330 hours
2. Internet booking to be strengthened with next-generation e-ticketing system to eliminate delays
3. Special A/C coaches ‘Anubhuti’, to be introduced in select Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains to give excellent ambience with commensurate fare
4. Railways will use Aadhar data base for bookings and validation of passengers
5. SMS alert service being rolled out shortly to intimate passengers about reservation status
6. Free wi-fi facility to be provided in select trains
7. Plan to allow e-ticketing via mobile phones 

 Benefits for the passengers

1. Railway committed to bring marked change in passenger amenities
2. Seventeen bridges identified for repair
3. Smoke and fire detection system envisaged
4. Fire extinguishers to be kept in guard vans
5. Aim to eliminate 31,846 level crossings
6. Identification of 104 stations for upgradation in places with more than one million population and of religious significance
7. Railways to set up six more Rail Neer bottling plants
8. 10% reservation for women in RPF
9. Presence of women in RPF to go up
10. Plan for elephant corridor safety
11. Corporate safety plan proposed
12. Railway safety fund inadequate
13. Fall in accidents — per million accidents down from .41 to .13
14. There has been significant drop in train accidents
15. Rs. 95,000 crore shortfall, meeting this shortfall will mean a paradigm shift
16. Rs 1 lakh crore to be raised from public-private partnership, Rs 1.05 lakh crore through internal resources in the 12th Plan
17. 12th Plan railway size to be Rs 5.19 lakh crore, with gross budgetary support of Rs 1.94 lakh crore
18. Steep increase in input costs have been met with hike in Freight rates: Bansal
19. Railways powerful vehicle driving the growth of the country: Bansal
20. Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presents his maiden budget in Parliament
21. Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal arrives in Parliament to present his maiden budget.
22. A day before presenting the budget, Mr. Bansal said that there was a demand for more trains. But he did not disclose whether he would concede it, as his predecessors did.
23. "The government is for the people. You will have to see the budget from that point of view...," he said at an informal chat with reporters, when asked whether the budget would be people-friendly.

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