Today at around 1.30 PM I could watch glimpses of the TV news coverage of the first railway budget of July 2014 as introduced by the Railway Minister Mr Sadananda Gowda under the new Indian Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi . I also watched the DD News debate and the PM's address to the nation regarding the railway budget for a few minutes.
Great! That was my first impression.
First things first. The DD News and the presenters now appeared much more professional and knowledgeable. It has become more pleasing and acceptable now. (I used to skip DD News earlier!)
The PM's address to the nation through DD News was highly appreciable. For the first time in the last several years, a PM has given his frank clarifications regarding the railway budget after it was introduced in the parliament in a voice and tone that was too appealing with regard to his vision about the future of the railways has to play for the progress of the nation.
Obviously, the Narendra Modi government has begun to show its presence and positive actions!
Later I could see the highlights of the railway budget as it appeared in the online news sites.
All the proposals are good and progressive.
Some of those which needs to be specially mentioned are:
1. Proposal for dedicated freight corridor
2. Novel and progressive ideas proposed for housekeeping, security and cleanness including mechanized laundry
3. Proposal for setting up of the Railway University for skill training in the field of railway engineering, technology and management
4. Improvements in e-ticketing and e-administration with introduction of paperless railway office working
5. Employment generation and use of railways as an economic driving force for India.
6. Thrust for speedy completion of ongoing projects by better administrative follow ups
Together with the rest of India, I earnestly hope this is just a beginning for a better tomorrow for India.
If there is a will, there is a way! That is what this railway budget is telling us!
If there is a will, there is a way! That is what this railway budget is telling us!
Best wishes to the PM and his team!
Some criticisms about the current railway budget, especially by some people from my home state Kerala were regarding the neglect that the union railway budget did to this southern state while Karnataka, the home state of the railway minister, got railway facilities in plentiful.
ReplyDeleteApparently there is some substance to this. But it is also worth remembering that Kerala had a number of powerful ministers in the erstwhile union government sitting in their respective positions for a decade. And Kerala also had a Congress led state government during most of this period. It was indeed a very ideal situation for Kerala to gain some thing including railway facilities. But nothing that got in to the minds of the people as something noteworthy happened during those ideal times. So what is the point in making a noise now when Kerala is out of synchronization with the union government?
The 2016 rail budget has just been introduced in the parliament today (25th Feb 2016) by Rail Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu. Fantastic! Definitely, for the first time the Railway officials and the political leadership have both done their home works properly and with some remarkable vision! No doubt, if they work to make it all happen as planned, it will be a great achievement. Politically motivated opposition voices need not be taken seriously.
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