National
Railways to use Rs 73,000 crore on safety: Goyal (Lead)
New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) The railways will spend over Rs 73,000 crore on safety out of the Rs 1.48 lakh crore capital expenditure earmarked for it in the Union Budget, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.
The Railway Minister said the ministry will focus on technology this year to ensure safety on its network.
Apart from the Rs 73,065 crore, the Railways will use Rs 20,000 crore from its rail safety fund that was created last year, he said.
“It will comprise Rs 5,000 crore from the capital (budgetary support), Rs 10,000 crore from railway safety fund received as Railways’ share from central road fund and Rs 5,000 crore from railways’ revenue,” the Minister said.
Goyal said the railways will get a gross budgetary support of Rs 55,000 crore from the Finance Ministry.
“The railways will get budgetary support of Rs 53,060 crore from the Finance Ministry. The government has provided Rs 1,940 crore towards reimbursement of losses on operation of strategic lines and Rs 88 crore towards reimbursement of operation cost of e-ticketing to the IRCTC,” he said.
He said the Indian Railways will generate Rs 11,500 crore from the internal resources and raise Rs 28,500 crore from IRFC and Rs 26,440 crore from Institutional Finance (LIC) to support.
“It will also generate investment of Rs 27,000 crore from the public private partnership in the projects,” he said.
Speaking about the Rs 1.48 lakh crore capex in the railways, Goyal said, “The government is drastically scaling up investments by almost three times to Rs 1,46,500 crore in 2018-19 as against Rs 53,989 crore in 2013-14.”
“This is 22 per cent higher than 2017-18,” he said.
In 2017-18 Union Budget, the total capex of Railways was pegged at Rs 1,31,000 crore.
According to the ministry officials, the operating ratio of 2018-19 is estimated at 92.8 per cent as against 96 per cent in 2017-18.
The Minister said the first set of the modern train announced by Jaitley would be commissioned in September this year.
Stressing on technology, he said: “Our main focus will be on technology, in everything. I have to give people security. So my target is to have CCTV cameras and Wi-Fi in all trains and all coaches.”
He said that for the national transporter “money is never a concern”.
Goyal said he has a plan to introduce an effective and modern ETCS II signalling system on the entire railway network in next six years.
ETCS II is a radio-based cab signalling equipment on the railway network which would not only help address safety concerns but also aid capacity management.
Stakeholders in the Railways also reacted positively to the thrust on technology in the Indian Railways.
Bharat Salhotra, Vice President Sales and Business Development, Asia Pacific of the French giant Alstom told IANS: “The increased capital outlay on railways to Rs 1.48 lakh crore is a positive outcome and one that spells increased opportunities for players like us.
“We have the right technology, capabilities, skill and expertise to support the government in the achievement of its top priorities of safety, modernisation, High speed and digitisation of railways,” he said.
He said the government is on the “right track in spelling out its vision”.
The French giant is producing India’s first 12,000 horsepower electric locomotive at its plant in Bihar’s Madhepura, which is likely to be rolled out in March.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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