indian rail badget 2009

On 3rd July, Mamata Banerjee presented Indian Rail Budget 2009 in Lok Sabha. She started her speech with a question if Indian Railways, which runs the world’s second largest railways network under single management, should function purely on the basis of economic viability and address the social commitment. Banerjee said her focus would be on better passenger amenities, good food at affordable prices, clean toilets at stations and trains. Keeping her promise of social welfare and rural development, she has not increased passenger fares and freight tariffs. Experts have called this budget progressive and forward looking. This is her first rail budget for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and third in her political career. I have compiled some of the Highlights of Indian Rail Budget 2009.

Highlights of Indian Rail Budget 2009 ::

• 50 stations to be developed as World Class stations.
• 375 stations to be upgraded as ‘Adarsh Stations’ with basic facilities including drinking water, adequate toilets, ladies dormitories etc.
• Multi-functional complexes to be constructed at 50 railway stations serving centres of pilgrimage, tourist and industry. To have shopping facilities, food stalls, budget hotels etc.
• Expanding facilities like ramps, special signage, lifts, escalators, special coaches for physically challenged and aged persons.
• Onboard availability of doctors in long-distance trains being considered; ambulance services to be provided in seven cities to start with.
• On-board infotainment services to be provided on important long-distance intercity trains.
• Toilet facilities to be introduced in DEMU/MEMU trains with journey time more than 2 hours.
• 1000 new PRS locations to be opened; UTS services to be expanded from 5000 to 8000 locations.
• Automated ticket vending machines to be installed at 200 large and medium sized stations.
• Taking ticketing to ‘Maa Mati Manush’ – grassroot, through issue of computerized tickets at Post offices and ‘Mushkil Aasaan’ mobile ticketing service vans.
• Air-conditioned double decker coaches for inter-city travel to be introduced.
• Timely track renewal, modernization of signals, use of digital ultrasonic flaw detectors etc.
• Integrated Security Scheme to be introduced at 140 vulnerable and sensitive railway stations.
• Women RPF squads for security of women passengers
• 6,560 staff quarters to be constructed in 2009-10.
• Indoor stadia to be developed in major railway divisions and zones.
• Increased contribution of Rs 350 per employee to Staff Benefit Fund to continue for a year, with Rs 100 per employee for women empowerment, vocational training of physically and mentally challenged wards especially girl child, and higher education for girls.
• Scholarships for higher education of girl child of group D staff.
• Proposal to open 7 nursing colleges on railway land at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai (Kalyan), Chennai, Secunderabad, Lucknow and Jabalpur on PPP model to facilitate the wards of railway employees in finding vocational avenues.
• Burn Units at major Railway hospitals.
• Metro Railway Hospital to be upgraded to 75 beds.
• Medical colleges planned to be attached to existing railway hospitals at 18 locations through PPP mode.
• Dormitories for railway families accompanying patients to be provided at 16 hospitals having 150 beds and above.
• Policy on Railway Recruitment Boards to be reviewed.
• Special recruitment drive for filling vacancies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Physically Handicapped quota.
• Premium service for container movement with assured transit time being considered.
• Private ownership of special purpose rolling stock for commodities and private operation of freight terminals will be encouraged.
• Mega logistic hubs being planned alongside Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors.
• Kisan-Vision project – Running special trains from production clusters to consumer centers for perishable products like fruits and vegetables to reduce wastage and also for village handicraft, cottage industry & textile products to increase outreach and access to new markets for rural produce. Temperature controlled cargo centres to be encouraged.
• Premium Parcel Services named Faster Parcel Services on pilot basis on three routes to run with guaranteed transit time from dedicated terminals.
• Dedicated Freight corridors declared ‘Diamond Rail Corridors’.
• Setting up of a new factory at Kanchrapara-Halisahar Railway Complex with annual capacity of 500 EMU/MEMU and Metro coaches in Joint Venture/Public-Private Partnership mode.
• Proposal to initiate action for setting up 1000 MW power plant with Ministry of Power, at Adra, in under developed tribal area.
• State of the art training facilities proposed at Dankuni for young artisans and supervisors, thereby contributing to national talent pool.
• Feasibility study for energy efficient rail based system to provide connectivity to suburban system in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.
• Proposals for better integration of passengers’ movement in Kolkata suburban area.
• Quazigund-Anantnag New Line to be completed by August, ‘09.
• Creation of Northeast Rail Development Fund under consideration for timely completion of national projects in N.E. Region.
• New proposals for better rail connectivity proposed to be processed which include 53 for new lines, 3 for gauge conversion works and 12 for doubling.
• Setting up of an expert committee headed by Shri Sam Pitroda to suggest innovations to utilize optic fibre cable network of Railways and take information technology to door steps in remote areas.
• Project Monitoring Committee for developing mechanism to avoid slippage in project delivery. Special monitoring for National Projects.
• Railways to come out with white paper on organizational, operational and financial status based on last five years performance and develop Vision-2020 with long and short term strategy and plan of action.
• Modernization of select railway printing presses. Offer for takeover of heritage institution Basumati Sahitya Mandir, for revival.
• Takeover of Units of Burn Standard and also Braithwaite under consideration.
• Revision in Tatkal Scheme to make it more user friendly. Advance booking period reduced. Minimum charge reduced to Rs. 100.
• No increase in passenger fares and freight tariffs.

Financial Performance in 2008-09

• Freight loading at 833 million tonnes (MT) grew @ 5% on previous year.
• Traffic receipts also increased by 11.4% to reach Rs 79,862 cr.
• Cash surplus before dividend Rs 17,400 cr after disbursing Rs 13,600 cr towards implementation of 6th Central Pay Commission.
• Railways paid full dividend liability of Rs 4,717 cr to Government.
• Investible surplus of Rs 12,681 cr generated.
• Annual Plan expenditure was Rs 36,336 cr.

Budget Estimates 2009-10

• Freight loading targeted at 882 MT – an increment of 49 MT; number of passengers likely to grow by around 6%.
• Gross Traffic Receipts (GTR) estimated at Rs 88,419 cr i.e. Rs 8,557 cr more than 2008-09.
• Ordinary Working Expenses budgeted at Rs 62,900 cr to cover the full year impact of VI CPC and the payment of 60% arrears due in 2009-10.
• The dividend payable to General Revenues kept at Rs 5,479 cr.
• Budgeted Operating Ratio 92.5%.

Concessions

• ‘Izzat‘- A new scheme for travel with dignity. Issue of concessional MST of Rs 25 for people, with monthly income upto Rs 1,500, in unorganized sector, for travel upto 100 km.
• Press correspondents to get ‘photo identification cum credit cards’ on certification of PIB and other competent authorities instead of existing system of coupons. Concession of 30% to increase to 50% for Press Correspondent. 50% concession for travel with spouse also to be given once a year.
• The existing student concession to be extended to students of Madrasas, higher Madrasas and senior Madrasas.
• Concessional MST available to students in Kolkata will be applicable for travel in Metro Rail Kolkata also.

Special Trains

• ‘Only ladies’ EMU trains to start in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata sub-urban during office rush hour.
• ‘Yuva Trains‘ – New low-cost, air-conditioned, seated accommodation trains, dedicated specially for young generation and low-income groups.
• ‘Duronto trains‘ – for the first time new Non-stop, point to point train services. Starting with 12 trains.

Other New Train Services

• 57 new train services to be introduced.
• Extension of 27 trains also envisaged.
• Frequency of 13 trains to be increased.