Rail budget 2016 – some key highlights -Governance Now

Rail budget 2016 – some key highlights

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu presented the Railway Budget 2016 in Lok Sabha with no changes in passenger fares and freight rates.

GN Bureau | February 25, 2016

#railway budget #suresh prabhu #rail budget

Union minister for railways, Suresh Prabhu, and minister of state for railways, Manoj Sinha, leaving Rail Bhawan for Parliament House to present the Railway Budget 2016-17.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu presented the Railway Budget 2016 in Lok Sabha. This was his second rail budget since he took charge of the ministry. There were no changes in passenger fares and freight rates. Following are some key highlights of the

Construction of dedicated freight corridors from north-south connecting Delhi and Chennai, east-west connecting Kharagpur to Mumbai and east coast connecting Kharagpur to Vijayawada to be given priority.
Introduction of smart coaches with automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible dustbins, improved aesthetics and vending machines.
To improve quality of travel, introduction of unreserved superfast Antyodaya Express Trains and Tezas train with the speed of 130 km.
AC and non AC double decker trains to ply on busy routes with the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.
Operations audit to improve punctuality of trains proposed.
Rail connectivity to important ports to be taken up under PPP mode in 2016-17.
Expansion of train on demand facility to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to wait-listed passengers.
65,000 additional berths and 2,500 water vending machines will be installed.
17,000 bio-toilets will be incorporated in trains.
Plans to introduce 1,780 automatic ticket vending machines all over the country along with mobile apps and smartcard for cashless purchase of tickets.
The capacity of e-ticketing system to be enhanced from 2,000 tickets per minute to 7,200 tickets per minute.
Commission of Wi-Fi services at 100 stations this year and at 400 more stations in the next two years in partnership with Google.
Increased quota of lower berths for senior citizens and women.
Security to be enhanced through more passenger helplines and CCTVs.
To reduce accidents at level crossings, 1,000 unmanned level crossings will be eliminated and 350 manned level crossings will be closed.
All procurement including procurement of works will be moved to e-platform.
Coaches to be equipped with potable water and higher number of mobile charging points.
All stations under redevelopment to be made disabled friendly.

Comments

Other News

Retail inflation crosses 6% mark

Retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index for October has reached 6.09%, whereas year-on-year food inflation, based on Consumer Food Price Index, for October is 8.94%, an official release said on Thursday. Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price I

Cabinet approves museum at North-South Block complex

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday has approved the development of the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM) at the North and South Block Complex, New Delhi, at an estimated total project cost of ₹3,230 crore, as appraised by the Public Investmen

Cabinet approves extension of Noida metro corridor

The Union Cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has approved the extension of Aqua Line Metro Rail Corridor from Noida Sector-51 to Greater Noida Sector-04 of Noida Metro Rail Project with corridor for a length of 8.449 km with 5 elevated stations. On operationalization of this corridor, Noid

India reaffirms commitment to climate multilateralism

India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate multilateralism and the principles of Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), calling for a fair, equitable and ambitious outcome at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framewo

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

1,364 anti-cancer formulations to cost less from today

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs. This was based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constitute