26 February 2015: Rail budget gets mixed response

Ø  Keeping its key promise to the voters, the Aam Admi Party government on Wednesday said it would slash power tariff by 50 per cent for households which consume up to 400 units per month. The government also decided to provide 20,000 litres of free water to every household.

Ø  Flagging it as proof that there is no friction between the government and the highest judiciary in appointment of judges, the government has acted quickly to get the President’s approval for the elevation of Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Amitava Roy as a Supreme Court judge.

Ø  The Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati cases seemed to be falling apart on Thursday with the special CBI court discharging former Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria and a businessman Vimal Patni.

Ø  Through the Railway Budget on Thursday, the Narendra Modi government has sought to send out the signal that it will tread slower on bullet trains in favour of more practical but fast trains that would cost less and could run on existing tracks. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s maiden budget that did not announce any passenger fare hike or any new train appeared to be rooted in the same sentiment: augmenting and improving existing facilities rather than new promises. In his budget speech, Mr. Prabhu quoted Mr. Modi as saying the railways would be an instrument of eliminating poverty. He also spoke of increasing employment opportunities. Even though the budget did not pass on the benefit of reduced diesel prices to consumers in terms of reduced fares, the Minister stressed that the railways would continue to “serve the common man.” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s initiative to install surveillance cameras on a pilot basis in select coaches and ladies’ compartments, aimed at strengthening security for women, has drawn a mixed response. Even as the move is being seen as an initiative that will bolster safety, some women’s organisations have called it intrusive and pointed out how footage from women’s compartments can be misused. Mr. Prabhu said without compromising on privacy, the Indian Railways would utilise resources from the Nirbhaya Fund for augmenting the security of women passengers.

Ø  To mark the occasion of 100 years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa, the Indian Railways will promote the Gandhi circuit. Presenting the Rail Budget on Thursday, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said, “Tourism holds a great potential for job creation and economic development of a region. Indian Railways will join this effort Incredible Rail for Incredible India.” He said that tourism would receive a boost with the promotion of the Gandhi circuit.

Ø  Singer Lady Gaga will star in the fifth season ofAmerican Horror Story . The newly-engaged singer tweeted the news and the new title for the anthology series — American Horror Story: Hotel.

Ø  Market analysts said that though Indian railway would be investing Rs.8,686 crore in fast tracking of 7000 km of sanctioned works, most of these orders have already been placed, leaving little scope for new orders for these companies this year. The announcement that the Railways would invest Rs.96,182 crore in 77 new projects covering 9,400 km of doubling/tripling/quadrupling works along with their electrification, did bring some respite though. But the market anticipated much more.

Ø  The Indian Railways will borrow Rs.17,655 crore from markets through its two companies Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd for capital expenditure during 2015-16, a nearly 47 per cent increase over the current fiscal year’s revised estimate. The market borrowing as per the revised estimate by these two companies during the current fiscal was pegged at Rs.12,045 crore, according to the Railway Budget for 2015-16.