1400 HRS

26th February, 2013

THE HEADLINES

• Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presents his first Rail Budget; No increase in passenger fares; 67 new express and 26 passenger trains to be launched.

• Emphasis laid on Zero accident and safety and security of rail passengers; 47 thousand vacancies reserved for differently abled to be filled up

• Arunachal Pradesh included in Indian Rail Network for the first time; Need based border connectivity top priority.

• E-ticket facility to be made available through mobile phone; Next generation e-ticketing introduced to be able to book seven thousand tickets in a minute; Aadhar card to be used for ticket reservation; 1800111321 toll free number for redressing complaints.

• Brisk polling is reported from all nine polling stations across eight assembly constituencies in Nagaland.

• Sensex drops over 200 points in afternoon trade.

• India defeat Australia by 8 wickets in the first cricket Test at Chennai.

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The Railway budget 2013-14 was presented in the Loksabha by the Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today. Presenting his maiden first railway budget, the Minister announced a series of measures for improving safety and security of the Indian Railways. He announced 67 new Express trains including an AC express from New Delhi to Katra which will run six days a week, 26 new passenger services, introduction of 72 additional services in Mumbai and 18 in Kolkata, introduction of first AC EMU rake on Mumbai suburban network and increased frequency of 24 trains. For the current financial year, the Minister announced the highest ever plan outlay of 63,363 crore rupeesincluding gross budgetary support of 26,000 crore rupees and Railway safety fund of2,000 crore rupees. For the first time Arunachal Pradesh has been included in Indian Railway Network.

The Minister said, a new Debt Service Fund will be set up to meet committed liablities and set a target to generate 30,000 crore rupees in the terminal year of the 12th plan. In the budget estimates for 2013-14, Mr Bansal said, fund balances to exceed 12,000 crore rupees and passenger growth will be 5.2 per cent. He said, freight loading of 1047 million tons is 40 million tons more than 2012-13. The Minister said, gross traffic receipts for 2013-14 is one lakh, forty three thousand, seven hundred forty two crore rupees, an increase of over 18,062 crore rupees more than last year.

Mr Bansal said, Fuel Adjustment Component (FAC) linked revision for freight tariff to be implemented from the 1st of April this year. The Minister said, enhanced reservation fee will be abolished and announced marginal increase of supplementary charges for super fast trains, reservation fee, clerkage and cancellation charges.

Stating the safety of the passengers is of the highest priority, Mr Bansal said, train protection warning system on automatic signalling systems and self propelled accident relief trains will be introduced. The Minister also said that 17 distressed bridges will be rehabilitated over next one year and measures will be taken to deal with elephant related accidents. Amidst thumping of desks, the Minister said, eight companies of women RPF personnel to be set up to strengthen the security of rail passengers, especially women. Mr Bansal said, in the RPF recruitment 10 per cent vaccancies will be reserved for women.

To strengthen the security of rail passengers, especially women passengers, Railways have already created four companies of women RPF personnel and another eight would be set up. The presence of women RPF personnel will be further strengthened with the field units. Many trains are being escorted by Government Railway Police and Railways Protection Force in sensitive sections. Further, the Ladies Special local trains in Metropolitan Cities are being escorted by lady RPF Staff. Security helpline numbers have been made available on few zonal railways to facilitate passengers in reporting any untoward incidence for immediate intervention.

The Minister said, One lakh fifty two thousand vacancies will be filled up this year, out of which 47,000 vacancies have been earmarked for weaker sections and physically challenged. Mr Bansal announced that a new forged wheel factory will be set up at Rae Bareli. He also announced that workshop for repair and rehabilitation of motorized bogies will be set up at Misrod in Madhya Pradesh. The Railway Minister said a new wagon maintenance workshop in Kalahandi in Odisha and a coach manufacturing unit in Haryana's Sonepat will be set up. Mr Bansal also said, a modern signaling equipment facility at Chandigarh through public-private partnership will be established.

The Minister said, the Railways has identified 104 important stations for immediate attention to cleanliness and also provision of concrete aprons on platform with mechanised cleaning facilities. He added, another 60 stations will be upgraded as Adarsh stations besides 980 already selected. Services of associate voluntary organisations will be taken for providing first aid services at railway stations.

Progressive extension of bio-toilets on trains; provision of concrete aprons on platforms with mechanised cleaning facilities. 200 stations have already been covered. Extension of On Board Housekeeping Scheme and Clean Trains Stations to more stations and trains; setting up of six more Rail Neer bottling plants at Vijayawada, Nagpur, Lalitpur, Bilaspur, Jaipur and Ahmedabad; launching of a pilot project on select trains to facilitate passengers to contact on-board staff through SMS/ phone call or e-mail for prompt response for coach cleanliness and also to provide real time feedback.

For differently abled and elderly people, the Minster said, 179 escalators and 400 lifts at major stations will be installed.

To facilitate the boarding of trains and exit from the stations for the differently-abled and the elderly, the steps proposed include provision of 179 escalators and 400 lifts at A-1 and other major stations, affixing Braille stickers indicating the layout of coaches including toilets, provision of wheel chairs and battery operated vehicles at more stations and making coaches wheel-chair friendly. In order to provide an employment avenue to the disabled people, I propose to reserve a specified number of JTBS for them.

The Railway Minister said third party audit and tie up with food testing laboratories for food quality control and ISO certified state-of-the-art base kitchens will be set up in railway premises. He announced a centralised catering services monitoring cell with atoll free number 1800 111 321. Mr Bansal said six more Rail Neer bottling plants at Vijayawada, Nagpur, Lalitpur, Bilaspur, Jaipur and Ahmedabad will be set up.

Mr. Bansal said, a multi-disciplinary training institute at Nagpur for training in rail related electronics technologies and a centralised training institute at Secunderabad will be established. The Minister also said his Ministry will provide Wi-Fi facilities on several trains. He said 'Aadhaar' card will be used for various passenger and staff related services and Next-Generation-e-ticketing system will be rolled out.

By the end of this calendar year, we will put in place a Next Generation e-ticketing system which will bring about a paradigm shift in Internet rail ticketing by significantly improving the end user experience in respect of ease of use, response time as well as capacity. The system shall be able to support 7200 tickets per minute as against 2000 tickets per minute today.

Favoring more usage of agro-based and recycled paper and baning the use of plastic in catering, the Minister said new generation of energy efficient electric locomotives and EMUs will be deployed.

Mr Bansal also announced police gallantry awardees to be given one complimentary pass every year for travel along with one companion in 2nd AC in Rajdhani and Shatabadi trains. He said passes for freedom fighters to be renewed once in three years and complimentary card passes will be given to Olympic medalists and Dronacharya awardees for travel in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. To attract more tourists, the minister said an educational tourist train with concessional fares 'Azadi Express' to connect places associated with freedom movement will be introduced. The Minister said'yatra parchis' will be issued to pilgrims travelling by rail to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at the time of railway ticket booking.

The Minister also announced a series of welfare measures for staff including enhanced allocation of 300 crore rupees for staff quarters and provision of hostel facilities for single women railway employees at all divisional headquarters.

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Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has termed the Railway budget as reformist and forward looking which presents a realistic picture of Railway finances. Dr Singh said, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has done a commendable job in meeting competing demands of improving services and controlling expenditure. The Prime Minister complimented Mr Bansal for his innovations in critical areas of Railway Infrastructure and paving the way for capacity expansion.

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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has hailed the Rail budget as remarkable and commendable. Talking to media outside Parliament, he termed it as a forward looking budget and commended the Railways Minister Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal for having done a good job.

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I think he has done a remarkable job new trains, new lines, extensions, capital works, and production facilities. I think it is very commendable budget.

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In Nagaland, brisk polling is reported from almost all the nine polling stations across eight assembly constituencies in seven districts.The Election Commission had ordered re-poll in these polling stations in view of the violence and malpractices during last Saturday’s Assembly elections.

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The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange fell 75 points, to 19,256 in early trade, today, as funds and retail investors booked profits, amid weak Asian bourses. Later, selling pressure intensified, and the Sensex had lost 211 points, to stand at 19,120, in afternoon trade, a short while ago.

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Hosts India defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the first cricket Test at Chennai to take a one-nil lead in the four match series. The visitors Australia today resumed their second innings at the overnight score of 232 for 9, on the final day today, with Moises Henriques and Nathan Lyon at the crease. Nathan Layon was the last wicket to fall this morning, as the Aussie were bundled out for 241, giving a target of just 50 runs for India to chase.