Railway Minister Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal announced the Union Railway Budget for 2013-14 in Parliament on Tuesday, Febraury 26.
The Rail Budget was Long Awaited by the People of India & even All Political Leaders were also very interested in it.He started his Budget speech introducing all the members present their at Loksabha.
Madam Speaker, I rise to present before this august House the Revised Estimates for 2012-13 and a statement of estimated receipts and expenditure for 2013-14. I do so with mixed feelings crossing my mind. While I have a feeling of a colossus today, it is only ephemeral and is instantaneously overtaken by a sense of humility. Democracy gives wings to the wingless, cautioning us all the while, that howsoever high or wide our flight may be, we must remain connected to the ground. For giving me this opportunity, I am grateful to the Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the UPA Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and pay my homage to the sacred memory of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi who introduced me to the portals of this highest Temple of Indian democracy.
When you travel on the railway, And the line goes up a hill, Just listen to the engine As it pulls you with a will. Though it goes very slowly It sings this little song " I think I can, I think I can," And so it goes along. That is the strength of this organization, supported by determination, commitment and dedication to duty demonstrated by each member of the 14 lakh strong Rail Parivar.
He also discussed various issues & statistics occurred in previous years.
Comparison b/w earlier Railway Budgets
Some Hightlights of Railway Budget 2013
- Some Highlights - Railway Budget 2013
- No increase in passenger fares
- Marginal increase in reservation charges, cancellation charges
- Supplementary charges for superfast trains and tatkal booking
- 26 new passenger trains to be launched
- 67 express trains to be launched
- Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains to be introduced
- 500-km new lines to be completed in 2013-14
- Concessional fare for sportspersons
- 5 per cent average increase in freight
- Toll free 1800 111 321 number to address grievance. Introduced from February 2013
- Introduction of e-ticketing through mobile phones, SMS alerts to passengers
- Free wi-fi facilities in select trains. 60 more 'adarsh' stations
- More ladies specials in metros and a helpline number to be implemented
To see what was there in the union rail budget 2013, click here. To download pdf file click here.
Loksabha elections for 2014 were also in Mr Bansal's mind while delivering the speech of Rail Budget. When Mr Bansal finished his speech, the BSE Sensex was trading almost 225 points down and the Nifty was at a three-month low. And in first reactions, India Inc said it was disappointed.
"We expected the Budget to be more constructive, but I think the minister was under restrictions... there is no major impetus to growth,"Ashok Vijay, chief financial officer at Texmaco, the largest wagon maker in the country, said.
The opposition has slammed the Budget as one designed for the Congress party in an election year.
"The freight hike will add to inflationary trends... It's a populist election budget which has addressed the Congress concerns not large regional issues and aspirations,"BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said. Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Left too have severely criticised Mr Bansal's effort. But Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram patted Mr Bansal on the back for the Budget. A day after NCP, a key ally of UPA, expressed grave disappointment over the rail budget, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today said he is ready to talk to the party to sort out the issue.
According to a report by HDFC Securities,when the Railway Budget was first passed in 1924 , Railways accounted for 75% of public transport and 90% of freight. It also accounted for 70% of the colony's budget. But today the railways merely account for around 9% of the annual Budget and astonishingly lower share of passenger and freight traffic. In India, everything is political and every little move is linked to vote-bank politics. The Railways is no exception. In the coalition era, the ministry has always gone to an ally with considerable political heft.Successive ministers have promised new trains in their home states to get party votes.
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