Hailing the Rail Budget presented by railway minister Suresh Prabhu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described it as “passenger-centric” as it proposes no passenger fare hike and aims to reo
Hailing the Rail Budget presented by railway minister Suresh Prabhu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described it as “passenger-centric” as it proposes no passenger fare hike and aims to reorganise and rejuvenate the national transporter, focusing on providing trains with higher speed and safety.
The main Opposition Congress pooh-poohed the Rail Budget with former Union minister Shashi Tharoor saying, “We all were a bit mystified whether a Budget was really presented or not.”
Former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav criticised the Rail Budget saying it had nothing new to offer and that people have been cheated.
The government’s efforts to comprehensively transform Railways will gain even more momentum with this “development-oriented” Budget, he said. “Rail Budget showcases a vision to reorganise, restructure and rejuvenate railways with new processes, structures, norms and sources of revenue,” Mr Modi said while commenting on the Rail Budget. Passenger facilities and rail upgradation have been two mantras of the Rail Budgets presented by railway minister Suresh Prabhu so far, Mr Modi said, adding that this budget will go a long way in addressing the problems faced by the Railways. He said Railways has witnessed 2.5 times more investment compared to what was seen in the Budgets presented in the previous government and expressed confidence that this Budget will have long-term and positive contribution to the economy.
“Launch of unreserved, superfast trains, Antyodaya Express and Deen Dayalu coaches illustrate our unwavering commitment to serving the poor. The boost to investment outlay shows our government’s long-term vision for the Railways and the nation,” he added.
Regarding announcement to strengthen rail connectivity in Manipur and Mizoram, he said it was “gladdening” as connectivity in Northeast is “one of our core priorities”.
Mr Yadav said there was no concern for the “safety” aspect in the Budget.
“It is all over. It has derailed. There is nothing in the Rail Budget. It has cheated people. Let the financial Budget be presented, it will be further finished...” Mr Yadav said in Patna. Mr Yadav, who served as railway minister during UPA 1, said that he had achieved a surplus of '60,000 crore during his tenure as the railway minister. He had not even asked the government to support the Rail Budget.
Another former railway minister, and Trinamul Congress MP, criticised the Rail Budget saying that instead of “statement of vision it was a statement of illusion”.
