{"id":1711,"date":"2015-02-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2015-12-31T11:09:46","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T05:39:46","slug":"highlights-of-the-railway-budget-2015-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxclick.org\/type\/miscellaneous\/highlights-of-the-railway-budget-2015-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Thrust:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

1. IR to become prime mover of economy once
\nagain 2 Resource Mobilization for higher Investments 3. Decongestion of heavy
\nhaul routes and speeding up of trains: emphasis on gauge conversion, doubling,
\ntripling and electrification 4. Project delivery 5. Passenger Amenities. 6.
\nSafety 7. Transparency & System Improvement. 8. Railways to continue to be
\nthe preferred mode of transport for the masses. 9. Sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Four goals for Indian
\nRailways to transform over next five years:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

a)   
\n<\/span><\/em>To deliver a sustained and measurable improvement in
\ncustomer experience. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

b)   
\n<\/span><\/em>To make Rail a safer means of travel<\/em>. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

c)   
\n<\/span><\/em>To expand Bhartiya Rail\u2019s capacity
\nsubstantially and modernise infrastructure.: <\/em>increase <\/em>daily
\npassenger carrying capacity from 21million to 30 million: increase track length
\nby 20% from 1,14,000 km to 1,38,000 km: grow our annual freight carrying
\ncapacity from 1 billion to 1.5 billion tonnes. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

d)   
\n<\/span><\/em>Finally, to make Bhartiya Rail
\nfinancially self-sustainable. <\/em>Generate large surpluses
\nfrom <\/em>operations not only to service the debt needed to fund our capacity
\nexpansion, but also to invest on an on-going basis to replace our depreciating
\nassets. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Execution strategy to
\nhave five drivers:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

a) 
\nAdopting a medium-term perspective:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Railway Budget part of
\ntrilogy of documents viz. the White Paper placed today, Budget 2015-16 & a
\nVision-2030 document which will follow. Budget proposals to mark beginning of a
\nFive Year Action Plan to transform the Railways.<\/p>\n

PROPOSED INVESTMENT
\nPLAN (2015-2019)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Item<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Amount (Rs in
\n crore)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Network
\n Decongestion (including DFC, Electrification, Doubling including electrification and traffic facilities) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

199320<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Network Expansion (including
\n electrification)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

193000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

National Projects
\n (North Eastern & Kashmir connectivity projects)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

39000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Safety
\n (Track renewal, bridge works, ROB, RUB and Signalling & Telecom) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

127000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Information Technology \/ Research<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Rolling
\n Stock (Locomotives, coaches, wagons \u2013 production & maintenance) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

102000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Passenger Amenities<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

12500<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

High Speed Rail & Elevated
\n corridor<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

65000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Station redevelopment and logistic
\n parks<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

100000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Others<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

13200<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

TOTAL<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

8,56,020<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>b)  
\n<\/strong>Building Partnerships<\/strong>: <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

This will require partnering with key
\nstakeholders: States, PSU\u2019s, partner with multilateral and bi-lateral
\norganizations & other governments to gain access to long term financing and
\ntechnology from overseas, the private sector to improve last mile connectivity,
\nexpand fleet of rolling stock and modernize our station infrastructure. <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

c)   
\n<\/strong>Leveraging additional resources: <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IR envisages investment of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore in next
\nfive years to be mobilized from multiple sources to cater to funding i.e
\nMultilateral development banks, pension funds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

d)   <\/strong>Revamping
\nmanagement practices, systems, processes, and re-tooling of human resources: <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Targeted operating ratio for 2015-16 at 88.5%
\nagainst 91.8%in 2014-15: best in the last 9 years. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IR to speed up
\ndecision making, tighten accountability, improve management information
\nsystems: training and development of human resource. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

e)   
\n<\/strong>To set standards for Governance and Transparency <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eleven
\nmajor thrust areas of Action Plan: 
\nQuality of life in journeys:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cleanliness:<\/em>-Swachh
\nRail Swachh Bharat, new department for cleanliness, integrated cleaning by <\/em>engaging
\nprofessional agencies and training our staff, \u2018waste to energy\u2019 conversion
\nplants, new toilets covering 650 additional stations compared to 120 stations
\nlast year. Bio-toilets.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bed linen<\/em>: NIFT to design;
\nonline booking of disposable bed rolls:<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Help-line:
\n<\/em>24X7
\nhelpline number 138;toll-free number 182 for security related complaints.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ticketing<\/em>:
\noperation five minutes for issuing unreserved tickets, hot buttons, coin
\nvending machines, <\/em>single destination teller, concessional e-tickets for
\ndifferently abled travelers, developing a multi-lingual e-portal, crediting of
\nrefunds through banks, unreserved tickets on Smart phones, proliferation of
\nautomatic ticket vending machines with smart cards and currency options,
\nintegrated ticketing system on the lines of rail-cum-road tickets, Defence
\nTravel System developed for elimination of Warrants .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Catering:
\n<\/em>e-catering
\nto select meals from an array of choices. Ordering food through IRCTC website
\nat <\/em>the time of booking of tickets; integrating best food chains into
\nthis project; setting up of Base Kitchens in specified Divisions to be run by
\nreputed agencies for serving quality food; expansion of water vending machines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leveraging
\ntechnology: <\/em>Hand-held terminals to Travelling Ticket
\nExaminers (TTEs) for verification of <\/em>passengers and downloading charts;
\npossibility of extending facility of SMS on mobiles as a valid proof of travel
\nfor PRS tickets; integrated customer portal as a single interface to access
\ndifferent services; Introduction of a centrally managed Railway Display Network
\nin over 2000 stations in next two years; \u201cSMS Alert\u201d service to inform
\npassengers in advance of the updated arrival\/departure time of trains at
\nstarting or destination stations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Surveillance: <\/em>surveillance
\ncameras provided on a pilot basis in selected mainline coaches and ladies\u2019 <\/em>compartments
\nof suburban coaches without intruding into privacy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Entertainment:
\n<\/em>project
\nfor introducing on-board entertainment on select Shatabdi trains on license fee
\n<\/em>basis launched; Mobile phone charging facilities to be provided in general
\nclass coaches & increased in sleeper class coaches.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>Station facilities: <\/em>200
\nmore stations to come under Adarsh Station scheme; Wi – Fi to be provided at B
\n<\/em>category stations ; facility of self-operated lockers to be made available
\nat stations; provision of concierge services through IRCTC at major stations;
\nonline booking of wheel chair on payment basis for senior citizens, patients and
\nthe differently-abled passengers through IRCTC on select stations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Train capacity: <\/em>capacity
\nin identified trains be augmented to run with 26 coaches; more General class
\n<\/em>coaches be added in identified trains;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Comfortable
\ntravel: <\/em>NID approached to design user friendly ladders for
\nclimbing upper berths; increasing <\/em>quota of lower berths for senior
\ncitizens; TTEs be instructed to help senior citizens, pregnant women and
\ndifferently-abled persons in obtaining lower berths; middle bay of coaches to
\nbe reserved for women and senior citizen; NID to develop ergonomically designed
\nseats; introduction of train sets; Provision of Rs. 120 crore for Lifts and
\nescalator which is 76% higher; newly manufactured coaches will be Braille
\nenabled; building wider entrances for the ease of differently-abled passengers;
\nallocation for passenger amenities up by 67% Y-O-Y. Corporate houses & MPs
\nto be requested to invest in improving passenger amenities at Railway stations
\nthrough CSR & MPLAD funds; Divisional Committees in each Railway to be
\nchaired by Members of Parliament.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Station
\nRedevelopment<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Station
\nredevelopment policy to be revamped and processes simplified by inviting open
\nbids; present stations be available for development on \u201cas is where is\u201d basis,
\nto exploit the space and air rights on concession basis; Zonal and Divisional
\noffices be empowered for quicker decision making;Land will not be sold;
\nDevelopment of 10 Satellite Railway terminals in major cities with twin purpose
\nof decongesting the city and providing service to n suburban passengers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Capacity
\nAugmentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Network expansion:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Decongesting networks
\nwith basket of traffic generating projects priority; priority to last mile
\nconnectivity projects ; fast track sanctioned works on 7,000 kms of
\ndouble\/third\/fourth lines and commission 1200 km in 2015-16 at an investment of
\nRs. 8686 crore, 84% higher Y-O-Y. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Commissioning
\n800 km of gauge conversion targeted in current fiscal. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

77 projects covering
\n9,400 km of doubling\/tripling\/quadrupling works along with electrification,
\ncovering almost all States, at a cost of Rs. 96,182 crore which is over 2700%
\nhigher in terms of amount sanctioned. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Traffic
\nfacility works a top priority with outlay of Rs. 2374 crore . <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the North East
\nStates, Meghalaya brought on the Railway map of India and direct connectivity
\nto Delhi provided. Barak Valley to be connected on BG . <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Award of 750 km of
\ncivil contracts and 1300 km of system contracts in 2015-16 on Dedicated Freight
\nCorridor; 55 km section of Eastern DFC to be completed in the current year.
\nPreliminary Engineering cum Traffic Survey (PETS) for four other DFCs in
\nprogress. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Acceleration of pace
\nof Railway electrification: 6,608 route kilometers sanctioned for 2015-16 ,an
\nincrease of 1330% over the previous year. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Expansion of freight
\nhandling capacity<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Transport Logistics Corporation of India
\n(TRANSLOC), to be set up for developing common user facilities with handling
\nand value-added services to provide end-to-end logistics solution at select
\nRailway terminals through Public Private Partnerships.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

For the benefit of our
\nfarmers, a state of the art Perishable Cargo Centre under completion at the
\nAzadpur Mandi with a scientific banana-ripening Centre; air cargo sector to be
\ndeveloped to facilitate and integrate the movement of air cargo between ICDs
\nand the gateway airports. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Policy
\nfor Private Freight Terminals (PFT) to be revised. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Automatic
\nFreight Rebate Scheme for traffic to be expanded <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Long haul freight operations to be used
\nextensively; construction of long loop lines to be expedited. Distributed power
\nsystem for multi-loco haulage to be accelerated. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Improving train speed <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Speed of 9 railway corridors to be increased
\nfrom existing 110 and 130 kmph to 160 and 200 kmph respectively so that
\ninter-metro journeys like Delhi-Kolkotta and Delhi-Mumbai can be completed
\novernight. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Average speed of freight trains in empty and
\nloaded conditions, will be enhanced to 100 kmph for empty freight trains and 75
\nkmph for loaded trains; loading density on all major freight bearing routes to
\nbe upgraded to 22.82 tonne axle loads. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bullet train<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Feasibility study for
\nHigh Speed Rail between Mumbai-Ahmadabad is in advanced stage and report
\nexpected by the mid of this year. For other high speed routes on the diamond
\nquadrilateral, studies are being commissioned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Upgrading
\nmanufacturing capability<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Creation
\nof job opportunities by upgrading the manufacturing capability. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Functioning of Indian Railways Production
\nUnits and Workshops would be reviewed to provide them a cutting edge; measures
\nfor technological upgradation and enhancing productivity be undertaken to make
\nthem self-sustaining. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Action plan being
\nprepared for areas where accidents occur: five-year corporate safety plan by
\nJune 2015 indicating annual quantifiable targets; Pending recommendations made
\nby High Level Safety Review Committee headed by Dr. Kakodkar Committee to be
\nexamined by April 2015. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

RDSO to develop a
\nsuitable device with reliable power supply system based on theft-proof
\npanels\/batteries in consultation with Indian Space Research Organization, using
\ngeo-spatial technology for providing audio-visual warning to road users at
\nunmanned level crossings; radio based signal design project been taken up with
\nIIT Kanpur for warnings at unmanned level crossing. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

970 ROB\/RUBs and other safety-related works
\nto eliminate 3438 level crossings at a total Railway expense of Rs. 6,581 crore
\nhave been sanctioned which is 2600% higher than the previous year covering most
\nStates. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Train Protection Warning System and Train
\nCollision Avoidance System to be installed on select routes at the earliest. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Modern track structure consisting of sleepers
\nand heavier rails being used while carrying out primary track renewals. Better
\nwelding techniques being promoted; digital type machines to replace analogue
\ntype machines. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Technology upgradation<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Constituting an innovation council called \u201cKayakalp<\/em>\u201d
\nfor business re-engineering and introducing a spirit of innovation in Railways.\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Technology
\nportal being constituted to invite innovative technological solutions. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Strengthening of RDSO
\ninto an organization of excellence for applied research; four Railway <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Research
\nCenters to be set up in select universities for fundamental research; \u2018Malaviya
\nChair\u2019 for Railway Technology at IIT (BHU), Varanasi to be set up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Consortium of Ministry
\nof Railways, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Science And
\nTechnology and Industries on to take up identified Railway projects for
\nresearch. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IT vision to be unveiled: information on
\nlatest berth availability station navigation system, bar coded\/RFID tracking of
\nparcels and freight wagons, automated parcel warehouses. Integration of train
\ncontrol and asset management applications. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mechanize
\nintegrated track maintenance. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Partnerships
\nfor development<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PPP
\ncell to be revamped to make it result oriented. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Projects for rail
\nconnectivity to many ports and mines being developed under participative
\nmodels; simplification of procedures and consistency of policy to be ensured. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cForeign
\nRail Technology Cooperation scheme\u201d to be launched. MUTP III for Mumbai to be
\ntaken up. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joint ventures to be
\nset up with States for focused project development, resource mobilization, land
\nacquisition, project implementation and monitoring of critical rail projects. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

JVs
\nto be set up with major public sector customers for meeting requirements of new
\nlines. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Improvements
\nto Management Processes and Systems<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Delegate,
\nde-centralize, de-regulate & simplify to be the new mantra. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Systems
\naudit to be conducted for review of all processes and procedures. Global
\nbenchmarks for key operating and maintenance activities. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Improve appraisal
\nmechanism for the selection of projects and introduce simulation tools for
\nproject planning and decision-making; introducing EPC system of contracting. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Constitution of a working group to modify
\npresent system of accounting, to ensure tracking of expenditure to desired
\noutcomes. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Train
\noperations to be audited. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paperless working in material management
\nsystem to be expanded; Vendors to be integrated through Vendor Interface
\nManagement System to provide single window interface to vendors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Resource
\nMobilisation<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plan Budget up by 52%
\nfrom Rs. 65,798 crore to Rs. 1,00,011 crore in 2015-16. Support from the <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Central
\nGovernment 41.6% of the Plan and Internal generation 17.8 %; setting up of a
\nFinancing Cell in the Railway Board.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Setting
\nup an infrastructure fund, a holding company and a JV with an existing NBFC of
\na PSU with IRFC, for raising long term debt from domestic as well as overseas
\nsources, including multilateral and bilateral financial institutions.
\nMonetisation of assets rather than selling them. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Digitized
\nmapping of land records and responsibility fixing for encroachments. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

New strategy to tap latent advertising
\npotential, including offering stations and trains for corporate branding. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Coastal Connectivity Program. Railways in
\npartnership with ports will deliver rail connectivity to Nargol, Chharra,
\nDighi, Rewas and Tuna. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Projects worth Rs 2500
\ncrore through BOT\/ Annuity route. These include Wardha- Nagpur 3rd line,
\nKazipet-Vijaywada 3rd line, Bhadrak \u2013Nargundi 3rd line and Bhuj- Nalia Gauge
\nConversion. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scrap
\ndisposal policy to be reviewed for speedier scrap disposal. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Human
\nResources<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Human Resource Audit to be undertaken.
\nFocused Human Resource strategy to raise employee productivity in line with
\nglobal standards. Separate accounting head for HRD. ERP based Human Resource
\nManagement System. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Special training module on soft skills for frontline
\nstaff so that our customers feel welcomed. Training in yoga. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Setting
\nup a full-fledged University during 2015-16. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Improved
\ndelivery of health services to employees: Upgradation of four Holiday Homes. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Energy
\nand sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Environment Directorate to be constituted in
\nRailway Board to give increased focus and thrust on environment management. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Detailed
\nenergy audit for energy saving. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Procure power through the bidding process at
\neconomical tariff from generating companies, power exchanges, and bilateral
\narrangements. Initiative likely to save at least Rs. 3,000 crore in next few
\nyears. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solar Power as part
\nof the Solar Mission of Railways. 1000 MW solar plants will be set up by the
\ndevelopers on Railway\/private land and Railway buildings with subsidy\/viability
\ngap funding support of Ministry of Non-Renewable Energy in next five years. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Water conservation
\nmission including water audit and expansion of water harvesting systems. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Accreditation
\nfor environment management to be extended. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

100 DEMUs to be enabled for dual fuel \u2013 CNG
\nand diesel. Locomotives running on LNG are also currently under development. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Noise levels of locos
\nto be at par with international norms; concerns related to wildlife to be
\naddressed. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Investing in Indian
\nRailways necessary for our ecological sustenance mainly due to efficiencies of
\nfuel consumption. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>Transparency and Governance initiatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

System of on-line
\napplications introduced for two categories of recruitment as a pilot project-
\nto be extended. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All
\npossible solutions be explored to address menace of corruption. E-procurement
\nvalue chain being expanded. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Constituting a
\nmechanism for making regulations, setting performance standards, determining
\ntariffs & adjudicating disputes among licensees\/private partners and the
\nMinistry, subject to review in appeal. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Social
\ninitiatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Infrastructure like
\nstations and training centers to be made available for skill development.
\nIndian Railways personnel and their services also available for this national
\ncause. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Promotion of products
\nmade by Self Help Groups, consisting mainly of women and youth on the model of
\nKonkan Railway. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Incredible Rail for Incredible India to be
\nlaunched; Promotion of training of auto-rickshaw and taxi-operators as
\ntourist-guides on the model of Konkan Railway.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Coaches in select
\ntrains connecting major tourist destinations to travel agencies may be offered
\non a revenue sharing model. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IRCTC to work on
\npromoting the Gandhi circuit to attract tourists to mark the occasion of 100
\nyears of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa; IRCTC will
\nwork on Kisan Yatra, a special travel scheme for farmers for farming &
\nmarketing technique centres. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FINANCIAL
\nPERFORMANCE 2014-15:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

     Net reduction in Gross Traffic Receipts by Rs 917 crore
\ncompared to the BE of Rs 1,60,165 crore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Growth in Ordinary
\nWorking Expenses (O.W.E) scaled down to 11.7% as against BE of 15.5% y-o-y.
\nTaking into account the likely savings accruing from drop in prices of HSD
\n(high speed diesel) for traction partly offset by higher requirements under
\ncertain heads for maintenance, safety and cleanliness activities, the budgeted
\nO. W. E. of Rs 1,12,649 crore decreased in the RE 2014-15 to Rs. 1,08,970 crore
\ni.e. by Rs 3,679 crore. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Appropriation
\nto the Pension Fund has been increased to Rs. 29,540 crore in RE. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Internal resource generation also improved and
\naccordingly the appropriation to DRF has been scaled up to Rs 7,975 crore in RE
\nfrom the BE 2014-15 provision of Rs 7,050 crore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After taking into account the above, “Excess”
\nof receipts over expenditure stands at Rs 7,278 crore in RE 2014-15 reflecting
\nbetter financial management.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plan size for 2014-15
\nincreased from Rs 65,445 crore in the B.E to Rs 65,798 crore in the Revised
\nEstimates i.e. by Rs 353 crore with higher provisions under internal resource
\ncomponent and market borrowings for rolling stock requirement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Budget Estimates for 2015-16.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The intention is to
\ncapture increased revenues and ensure appropriate investments so as to
\nde-congest the system and enhance line-capacity. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Passenger
\nearnings growth pegged at 16.7% and target budgeted at Rs. 50,175 crore. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Freight traffic is pegged at an all time high
\nincremental traffic of 85 million tonnes, anticipating a healthier growth in
\nthe core sector of economy; Goods earnings proposed at Rs. 1,21,423 crore which
\nincludes rationalisation of rates, commodity classification and distance slabs.\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other coaching and
\nsundries are projected at Rs. 4,612 crore and Rs. 7,318 crore. Gross Traffic
\nReceipts estimated at Rs 1,83,578 crore , a growth of 15.3%.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ordinary Working Expenses proposed to grow at
\n9.6% over RE 2014-15. Traction fuel bill anticipated to shrink further. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Higher provisions
\nmade for safety maintenance and cleanliness. Lease charges, interest component
\nof the current and previous market borrowings, at a growth of 21%. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Appropriation to Pension Fund proposed at Rs
\n35,260 crore and appropriation to DRF at Rs 8,100 crore. Appropriation of Rs
\n7,616 crore proposed to be made to Capital Fund for payment of principal
\ncomponent of lease charges to IRFC. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plan
\nOutlay 2015-16<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gross Budgetary
\nSupport of Rs 40,000 crore for the Railway\u2019s annual Plan. Rs 1,645.60 crore has
\nalso been provided as Railway\u2019s share of diesel cess from the Central Road
\nFund. Market <\/p>\n

borrowing under EBR projected at Rs 17,655
\ncrore, an increase of about 46.5%. Balance Plan outlay includes Rs 17,793 crore
\nfrom Internal Resources and Rs. 5781 crore from PPP. Significantly, we are
\nallocating large amounts towards Doubling, Traffic Facilities, Electrification
\nand Passenger Amenities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Given the huge shelf of project and ensuring
\nproper funds flow for the same with a view to completing them on target, a new
\nfinancing approach to expand EBR has been projected. This EBR, presently named
\nEBR (Institutional Finance) would be based on institutional investments in railway
\nprojects through Railway\/ PSUs. This element is projected at Rs 17,136 crore
\nand is aimed at accelerating completion of capacity augmentation projects.
\nWorks proposed to be financed through this mode are listed in the Budget
\ndocuments. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plan Outlay is Rs
\n1,00,011 crore, an increase of 52% over RE 2014-15. It is anticipated that the
\nPlan size will get higher once resources from institutional bodies are
\nformalized during the course of the ensuing financial year. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Complete
\nthe review of speed restrictions soon. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All
\ncritical initiatives to be pursued in mission mode under  designated senior officials in the<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ministry of Railways
\nas Mission Directors; similar structure replicated in all Zonal Railways.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thrust: 1. IR to become prime mover of economy once again 2 Resource Mobilization for higher Investments 3. Decongestion of heavy haul routes and speeding up of trains: emphasis on gauge conversion, doubling, tripling and electrification 4. Project delivery 5. Passenger Amenities. 6. Safety 7. Transparency & System Improvement. 8. Railways to continue to be … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[93],"yoast_head":"\nHighlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16 - All About Finance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/taxclick.org\/type\/miscellaneous\/highlights-of-the-railway-budget-2015-16\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Highlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16 - All About Finance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thrust: 1. 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