Railway Minsiter Suresh Prabhu presented his second rail budget. Before this Railway budget he has presented the Rail budget 2015. Here, we are comparing the Railway Budget 2015 and 2016. So, you can understand what has been done and what yet to be done. Check out what is new and what is old.
Railway Budget 2015
• No fare hike.
• No new trains were announced.
• Wi-fi facility in 400 stations.
• Operation 5 mins to ensure a passenger travelling unreserved can buy a ticket within 5 mins of entering station.
• More focus will be given on passenger amenities.
• Speed of 9 railway corridors will be increased to 160-200 kmph.
• One of the key initiatives in the budget is the proposal to invite bids from private players to develop railway stations.
• Rs. 8.5 lakh crore will be invested in railways over the next five years.
• Passengers will now be able to book tickets four months in advance , against the present two months.
• They can order their food online while booking tickets. They also get SMS alerts on arrival and departure of trains.
• There is also a pick-up and drop facility for those who want to avail.
• There is a special quota for senior citizens and pregnant women for lower berths.
• Women security is sought to be enhanced by installing CCTV cameras in ladies compartments without compromising on privacy of women.
• Rs. 1000 crore Nirbhaya fund will now be used on railways.
• For women security a helpline no. 182 is activated.
• An all India helpline no 138 to attend to the problems of passengers on a real time basis.
• Hand &ndashheld terminals will now be provided to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTE) which can be used for verification of passengers and downloading charts.
• 200 more stations will be included under Adarsh Station scheme.
• Capacity in selected trains will be augmented to run with 26 coaches from the existing 24 coaches.
• The fund allotment for passenger amenities will be increased by 67%
• The National Institute of Design has been approached to replace the present uncomfortable ladders used for climbing upper berths with user friendly ones.
• Plan Outlay proposed Rs. 1,00,011 crore, increased by 52%.
• A new department for keeping stations and trains clean under Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• Investment 84% higher, 77 new projects covering 9400 km of doubling, tripling proposed.
Railway Budget 2016
• No hike in passenger fares.
• Action has been initiated on 139 budget announcements made last year.
• Eliminate all unmanned level crossings by 2020.
Swacch Bharat: 17000 biotoilets and additional toilets in 475 stations before the close of this financial year.
• Increased quota for senior citizens and women travellers this year.
• Wifi at 100 stations this year and 400 stations next year.
Upgraded e-ticketing: Enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system from 2,000 tickets/min to 7,200/min. Supporting 1.2 lakh concurrent users now, as opposed to 40,000 earlier.
CCTV Surveillance: All major stations to be brought under CCTV surveillance in a phased manner.
• Deen Dayal coaches for long distance trains for unreserved passengers.
Local cuisine: IRCTC to manage catering service in phased manner. Local cuisine of choice will be made available to passengers.
Toilets cleaning on SMS: Cleaning of toilets by requests through SMS.
Baby Foods: Children's menu, baby foods, baby boards to be made available for travelling mothers.
Digital Display: GPS-based digital display in coaches for showing upcoming stations.
• For the first time in Indian Railways, absolute reductions planned in categories like diesel, electricity.
• 8.5 lakh crore to spent over 5 years for modernization of railway infrastructure.
• All-India 24X7 helpline for women.
• LIC to fund Rs.1.5 lakh crore over five years on favourable terms.
• Fully unreserved trains to be operated on high-density corridors.
• Local art to be highlighted at railway stations.
New projects to be implemented this year
• Overnight double-decker trains to be introduced on business travel routes.
• Broad Gauge Lumding-Silchar section in Assam, connecting Barak Valley with rest of country.
• 1,600 km of electrification this year and 2,000 km proposed for the next year.
• North-East India, especially Mizoram and Manipur, to be connected through broad gauge soon.
• Special purpose vehicle for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speech corridor registered this month.
Highlights of Railway Budget 2016 Railway Budget 2016: Live Current Affairs Round up January, 2016.
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