The first full-fledged Railway Budget of the BJP-led NDA Government on Thursday received wide appreciation from the ruling dispensation for being replete with “pragmatism” and “futuristic” agenda as Prime Minister Nerendra Modi credited it for making a “paradigm shift” from discussing coaches & trains to “comprehensive railway reform.”
Modi described the Rail Budget as “futuristic” and “passenger centric”. It lays out a clear roadmap to make the national transporter the key driver of the country’s economic growth, Prime Minister said in his first quick reaction to the railway budget after it was tabled in lok Sabha. “RailBudget2015 is a forward looking, futuristic & passenger centric Budget, combining a clear vision & a definite plan to achieve it,” he tweeted.
He said the Budget is a watershed moment for Railways, marking a paradigm shift from discussing coaches & trains to comprehensive Railway reform. “I am particularly delighted that for the 1st time there is a concrete vision for technology upgradation & modernisation of the Railways,” he said in another tweet.
“Rail Budget lays out a clear roadmap to make the Railways the key driver of India’s economic growth & playing a key role in India’s progress,” Modi added. He said the Budget stands out for its focus on the common man, putting speed, scale, service and safety, all on one track.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for presenting a balanced and growth-oriented Budget for 2015-16. “By increasing investments to improve infrastructure and passenger amenities, the Rail Budget has pushed the Railways back on the right track,” he said here.
The Home Minister said the Rail Budget underscores the NDA Government’s plan to make the Railways more consumer-focused and passenger friendly. “Prabhu deserves credit for it,” he said. Strongly rejecting the Opposition criticism for the Budget lacking in “substance”, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the NDA Government has taken on its shoulders all the responsibility of implementing unfulfilled promises of earlier regimes. The Budget “is realistic and pragmatic,” he said.
Taking on the Opposition for its criticism over no new trains, he questioned how many promises of new trains and railway tracks were implemented in the past. He asserted that the budget will surely address the major issues of four ‘S’ of “speed, safety, security and satisfaction” of rail users.
“Substantially enhanced allocations for new network creation, doubling, tripling and quadrupling of network and electrification will herald ‘acche din’ for railways and its users,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said. He said the Budget was not populist but will become the most popular once implementation starts.
Naidu said Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has come out with a “realistic and pragmatic” Budget and its effect will be known at the end of the year when past projects will be assessed and implemented. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the Railway Budget 2015-16 is a revolutionary and people-centric Budget.
He said that steps initiated in this budget would not only improve safety, security and facilities for passengers but also enhance speed of travel on Indian Railways. Javadekar said that the budget will address the problem of resource crunch. The technology-oriented services would ensure transparency as well as user-friendliness. He commended the emphasis laid on environmental protection with the creation of an Environment Directorate alongwith initiatives as Bio-toilets, energy audit, water and energy recycling and sensitivity towards wildlife.
Hailing the Rail Budget as “progressive and well thought out”, labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said it would improve amenities and infrastructure without burning a hole in passgengers’ pockets.
“This is a progressive and well thought out Rail Budget, without increasing the passenger fare. Moreover, there is an increase of 64 per cent (in spending) on passenger amenities,” he told reporters in a press conference here.
The Minister said the proposal to raise electrification target by 133 per cent to 6,608 km would help Railways in improving efficiency. The Minister also expressed satisfaction over increase in the fund allocation for South Central Railways by 25 per cent to Rs2,768 crore for 2015-16 compared with Rs2,200 crore in the current fiscal.