Page 2 - Railway Budget

Prabhu calls Rs 1.31-lakh cr allocation for railways capex 'unprecedented'

He said the infrastructure investment will spur growth

IRCTC, IRCON, IRFC to be listed on bourses: Jaitley during Budget address

Government will continue to use the ETF route for disinvestment of PSUs

Budget 2017-18: Railway companies to be listed on stock market

Government to also identify other PSUs for listing soon

Railways to have special safety fund of Rs 1 lakh cr

Jaitley announced that 500 stations would be made disabled friendly

Rail stocks decline 3-5% ahead of Railway Budget

The investors are looking for a safety fund for Railways

Rail Budget to focus on safety, infrastructure development

Creation of a separate safety fund is likely; Rs 20,000 cr will be earmarked for 2017-18

Budget 2017: Aadhaar maybe made mandatory for rail concession

The move will help the government in better targeting of benefits, sources said

Rail services must be paid for, says Arun Jaitley

The government had in September scrapped the 92-year old practice of presenting a separate railway budget

Letters: Let the secrecy end

The editorial, "Rebooting railways" (September 22), sets the pace for "what the railways should be doing to improve their functioning in a holistic manner" -a far more important agenda than merely shedding the 92-year-old legacy of the Raj era.Shedding the Railway Budget legacy is a great start. Any prudent and objective government must keep reviewing old practices, which are mostly followed because "we have always done it like this".Practices that have become unproductive and irrelevant must be discarded, just as we have started repealing some of the redundant historic laws that have no bearing on the running of the country at present.Presenting a separate Railway Budget was an anomaly; I am happy it has now been discontinued. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu's comment in this context must be lauded.The annual Union Budget is now practically an exercise in bookkeeping; it is no longer a means to bring about drastic changes in direct and indirect taxes and, possibly, help some companies.

Letters: Ring in the new

The Centre's decision to scrap the colonial era practice of two Budgets, 92 years after it was introduced means goodbye to another British legacy.The Railway Budget is usually presented two days before the Union Budget. Though there will be no Railway Budget, the railway ministry will continue to have autonomy over fares, salaries, pension bill, tariff revision and market borrowing, enabling it to maintain its distinct identity.The move could be a game changer and save the government a lot of time, money and effort. Another colonial legacy, the prime minister's residential address, 7, Race Course Road, is also becoming history now, with the road set to be renamed as 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.N J Ravi Chander BengaluruLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number

India to merge rail, general budgets; end non-plan, plan distinction

Officials said a better indicator of productive and general expenditure will be replacing the plan and non-plan distiction that has lost relevance post Planning Commission abolition

Rail Budget's 92-year-old journey set to end

Likely to be merged with Union Budget from FY18

Scrap separate Rly Budget

But speed up other railway reforms as well

Bibek Debroy: A 1924 legacy

There is an impression that private companies built railways under a guarantee system and this later changed to government ownership and operation of railways

Bibek Debroy makes case for scrapping separate railway budget

Debroy, however, dismissed reports that a new committee of NITI Aayog has made a similar recommendation

Railway expenses increase 19% on pay, pensions

Seventh Pay Commission to hit spending on infra development

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says her state was deprived in Railway Budget

Banerjee was the Railway minister between 2009 and 2011 during the UPA-2 regime

Railways to hit global markets via rupee bonds to fund capex

This would be the first time, that the Indian Railways will go to the international markets to fund its investment plans

Rail budget may hike passenger fares

The proposal is being considered against the backdrop of a decline in both passenger and freight earnings and the additional burden of Rs 32,000 cr towards implementing the 7th CPC recommendations

A fortnight before Budget, little recovery in Railways' finances

The second of a four-part series on core sector looks at the Indian Railways, which has few positives to show in its finances. Falling passenger volumes continue to dent operations, and the ambitious target of 85 mt additional freight loading during FY16 is unlikely to be met