Speech of Lalu Prasad Yadav

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[Speaker Sir, I present the Railway Budget for the year 2008-09 with a sense of deep pride and satisfaction. Each year we have progressively raised the bar based on our own successes. The cash surplus of the Railways rose steadily from Rs 9000 cr in 2005 to Rs 14000 cr in 2006 to Rs 20000 cr in 2007. The august House would be happy to know that in 2007-08, we will create history once again by turning in a cash surplus before Dividend of Rs. 25000 cr. Our operating ratio has also improved to 76%. Indian Railways is a Government Department. However, we take pride in the fact that our achievement, on the benchmark of net surplus before Dividend, makes us better than most of the Fortune 500 companies in the world. We are taking the Indian Railways to unprecedented heights. On this path of progress, 14 lakh rail employees have worked shoulder to shoulder with the passenger as a guiding beacon to write a story of success in which several billions have been earned despite reduction in fares. It is for this reason that Indian Railways has received acclaim world over as a unique mega enterprise. This success is the result of out of the box thinking and a passion to follow the road less traveled. Sab kah rahe hain humne gazab kaam kiya hai, Karoron ka munafa har ek shaam diya hai, Phal salon yeh ab dega, paudha jo lagaya hai, Sewa ka, samarpan ka, har farz nibhaya hai. Many are surprised by the successive landmarks set by the Indian Railways. While the common man is happy to see this picture of development. In last four years, we have turned in a cumulative cash surplus before dividend of Rs 68,778 cr. Out of this Rs 15,898 cr has been paid as dividend, Rs 39,215 cr has been invested in rail infrastructure and Rs 13,665 cr has been added to fund balances to reach Rs 20,483 cr. Sir, the dire straits the Railways were in prior to the UPA Government is not hidden from anybody. The Railways were battling a deep financial crisis in which they defaulted on the dividend payable to Government of India and were not in a position to undertake timely replacement of overage assets. Today, after the financial turnaround of the organization, the same people are making tall claims, trying to take credit for the financial turnaround. Ujra chaman jo chhod gaye thay, humarey dost, Ab baat kar rahe hain, wo fuslay bahaar ki. We have not only offered dreams but have also made them a reality. Even as we improved the railways financial performance, we have offered the masses the nations most economical, efficient and profitable transport system. There is no great mystery behind the strategy of this turnaround. It is common knowledge that the marginal cost in a capital-intensive business like Railways is substantially less than the average cost of operations. It is for this reason that we followed a strategy of playing on volumes, driving down unit cost, reducing tariffs and increasing market share to achieve record profits. The focus is on increasing yield per train rather than increasing tariff per passenger or per ton. Just as ever falling call charges have brought mobile phones within the reach of crores of people, for the first time lakhs of poor people have enjoyed the comfort of air-conditioned travel in Garib Rath by paying a little more than non AC sleeper fares. In the last 4 years, we have achieved incremental loading of 233 MT and have added Rs 14000 cr of freight earnings by reducing the wagon turnaround time and increasing payload. Instead of making across the board increases in tariff we undertook rationalization of the freight tariff. While on the one hand we reduced freight tariff for petrol and diesel, on the other we increased the tariff for iron ore for exports. We earned an additional Rs 2000 cr by giving lean season discounts and levying peak season surcharge. Instead of increasing passenger fares, we concentrated on increasing the length of passenger trains. During 2004-05 to 2007-08, we added 3000 additional coaches thereby earning an additional Rs 2000 cr. Earnings from parcel, advertisement, land lease etc. Have registered an unprecedented growth. In four years, other coaching and sundry earnings are likely to increase from Rs 1900 cr to Rs 4700 cr. Instead of distressing our customers we concentrated on enhanced utilization of our assets and increasing their productivity. The investment policy gave priority to low cost high return projects. This helped in debottlenecking of the network, better utilization of rolling stock, decrease in transit times and increase in throughput. An excellent synergy between investment, commercial, tariff and operating policies helped us achieve spectacular financial results. Railways competitive edge has been sharpened through strategic alliances. By giving license to run container trains to shipping and road transport companies we have made partners out of our erstwhile competitors. We are not idling our surplus but are investing it for augmenting the rail capacity to sustain the financial turnaround. In the last four years, the plan size of the Railways has increased from Rs 13,000 cr to Rs 30,000 cr. In short: Nayee kathni, nayee karni, nayee ek soch laye hain, Tarakki ki nayee parasmani hum khoj laye hain. Current year's performance Our physical and financial performance in the first nine months of the year 2007-08 has once again exceeded expectations. Freight loading to end of December 2007 registered a growth of 8.2 per cent and earning from freight was Rs 33,447 cr. Based upon the current trend, we have increased the budgeted target of freight loading for the year 2007-08 from 785 MT to 790 MT and increased the target for Freight Earnings by Rs. 800 cr. Simterminate these long queues within two years. Passengers would now be able to purchase railway tickets sitting at home on their computers, through mobile phones, through counters in their own neighbourhood or automatic ticket vending machines at stations. In the next two years, the number of UTS counters will be increased from 3,000 to 15,000 and automatic ticket vending machines from 250 to 6,000. The Jansadharan Ticket Booking Seva will be extended to all Zonal Railways. This will provide employment to thousands of unemployed youth besides facilitating easy availability of Railway tickets in every neighbourhood. Presently, e-tickets are issued only against confirmed reservation. In line with the demand of passengers it has now been decided to extend the facility of e-ticket to waitlisted passengers also. With this the number of passengers traveling on e-tickets is expected to increase from one lakh to three lakhs in the next one year. Booking of Rail Tickets through Mobile Phone There is a phenomenal growth of mobile phones in our country, and presently about 30 crore mobile phones are available with the people of India. This number is expected to increase to 50 cr by the year 2010. We are therefore exploring the option of issuing reserved and unreserved rail tickets through mobile phones. Sir, I had made a provision of Rs 750 cr in Ordinary Working recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission is not likely in the current year. Expenses and Rs 500 cr in the Pension Fund in anticipation of recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission. In view of this and through economy measures, there is likely to be a saving of Rs 966 cr in Ordinary Working Expenses and Rs 400 cr in the Pension Fund. The Revised Estimates provide for Ordinary Working Expenses at Rs 41,721 cr, appropriation to Pension Fund at Rs 8,250 cr and appropriation to DRF at Rs 5,450 cr. In this manner, Total Working Expenses are likely to be Rs 55,421 cr. Cash surplus before Dividend is likely to be Rs 25,065 cr and Net Revenue Rs 18,416 cr. Besides paying the current Dividend of Rs 4,218 cr, deferred Dividend liability of Rs 664 cr will also be cleared in 2007-08. Railway's Operating Ratio in the year 2007-08 is likely to be 76.3 per cent. Sir, in the glorious history of the Railways in independent India, it is the first occasion when Return on capital invested in railways will reach an historic level of 21 per cent. Goal par goal daag rahe hain, hum har match mein, Desh ka bachha bachha bolay, Chak de Railway. Passenger Amenities Sir, rail passengers are our revered guests. &quot;Atithi Devo Bhav&quot; has been a tradition in our country for centuries. Goddess Lakshmi has been exceptionally considerate on us during the last four years. We have brought about several important changes to make the travel experience of our guests pleasant, comfortable and secure, which I would like to share in brief with the august House. Termination of long queues at ticket counters at stations in 2 years 15. The train journey begins with the purchase of a rail ticket. We have made a multi pronged strategy using information technology as the lever to permanently terminate these long queues within two years. Passengers would now be able to purchase railway tickets sitting at home on their computers, through mobile phones, through counters in their own neighbourhood or automatic ticket vending machines at stations. In the next two years, the number of UTS counters will be increased from 3,000 to 15,000 and automatic ticket vending machines from 250 to 6,000. The Jansadharan Ticket Booking Seva will be extended to all Zonal Railways. This will provide employment to thousands of unemployed youth besides facilitating easy availability of Railway tickets in every neighbourhood. Presently, e-tickets are issued only against confirmed reservation. In line with the demand of passengers it has now been decided to extend the facility of e-ticket to waitlisted passengers also. With this the number of passengers traveling on e-tickets is expected to increase from one lakh to three lakhs in the next one year. Booking of Rail Tickets through Mobile Phone There is a phenomenal growth of mobile phones in our country, and presently about 30 crore mobile phones are available with the people of India. This number is expected to increase to 50 cr by the year 2010. We are therefore exploring the option of issuing reserved and unreserved rail tickets through mobile phones. Rail ticket on &quot;Go Mumbai Card&quot; in Mumbai Suburban Service The trial run for issuing rail ticket, monthly season ticket and platform ticket on Smart Card through Public Private Partnership has started on Central Railways Mumbai Suburban Service. This scheme will be commissioned by the end of next month. This multi-purpose card has been named &quot;Go Mumbai Card&quot; and sale of bus tickets of BEST on this card has already started. These cards will be sold at stations, bus depots of BEST and various locations in the city. The Railways have neither commited capital investment in implementing this scheme nor will there be any extra burden on Railways or passengers for buying tickets. Only a marginalfee would be payable upon buying and recharging the card. This ticket distribution scheme will be extended to Western Railway and other suburban services after the success of the pilot project. All these measures will help in ending the long queues at counters. Railway Enquiry Call Centre Sir, when I had announced the setting up of fully computerised railway enquiry call centre without any cost to the Railways two years ago, some honourable Members had likened the proposal to &quot;Mungeri Lal ke hasin sapne.&quot; I am happy that the dreams of &quot;Mungeri Lal&quot; have now become a reality. This enquiry service is now available in the entire country on Telephone No. 139 which can be accessed at local call charge through all mobile and fixed line telephones. Presently this service is being used daily by 2 lakh persons and it is expected that this number will increase to 5 lakh in a year's time. Non- availability of on-line information on arrival and departure of trains with these call centers is a cause for considerable inconvenience to the passengers. Therefore, we have decided to use modern IT and telecom technology to link the call centers with control office and NTES (National Train Enquiry System) on an on-line basis. This work will be completed by March 2009 to disseminate latest updated information about trains. On-line Coach Indication Display Board 19 On board passengers are generally unaware of the timely running and likely time of arrival of approaching stations whereas this information is available continuously on screen in international flights. This is a particular source of inconvenience to passengers de-boarding the train at night time. Therefore we have decided to install on-line coach indication display boards on over night mail and express trains. These boards will continuously display the remaining distance and likely time of arrival of the next approaching station. This facility will be made available in long distance mail/express trains by March 2009. On-line Train Arrival Departure Information Board Information boards displaying on-line information about train arrival- departure and platform berthing will be installed at railway stations, parking lots and entrance gates. High picture quality coloured LED Display Boards will be installed at 100 A &amp; B Category stations by March 2009. On-line Reservation Availability Information Board 21 On-line Reservation Availability Information Boards will be installed at reservation offices at all A &amp; B Category Stations dispensing the need for passengers to seek this information at counters. These high quality LED information boards and touch screens will be provided in sufficient number in reservations offices of A &amp; B Category Stations. Provision of Discharge-Free Green Toilets in Passenger Trains 22 Discharge from toilets of trains on the run is a primary cause for poor sanitation at stations. Several designs of discharge free Green Toilets were got developed to address this problem. Results of trials done so far have been extremely encouraging. Therefore we have decided to put a permanent end to the problem of discharge from train toilets by providing Green th Toilets in all 36000 coaches by the end of the 11th Plan period at a cost of Rs 4000 cr. Provision of LHB design coaches for Rajdhani and Shatabdi Trains Presently 4 Shatabdi and 4 Rajdhani trains are running with LHB design coaches. These coaches are equipped with all modern facilities for ensuring comfort in travel. Therefore it has been decided that by March 2010 all Rajdhani trains and by March 2011 balance Shatabdi trains will be provided with LHB coaches. Provision of stainless steel coaches in Mail/Express trains LHB coaches with stainless steel ICF bogies will be provided in Mail and Express trains besides Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. These coaches will be more comfortable and will have a carrying capacity of 10-16 per cent more than the existing coaches. These coaches have a longer life and require less maintenance. Production of these coaches will commence in 2008-09 and from 2009-2010 onwards only stainless steel coaches will be manufactured. Provision of Modular Toilets The above mentioned stainless steel coaches will be provided with Modular toilets. These toilets will be ergonomically designed with attractive interiors. They will have better arrangement for cleanliness and hygiene, water discharge, air circulation and illumination. On-board cleaning in Passenger Train. Presently cleaning of passenger trains is mostly done at the originating station and for long distance trains at one of the intermediate stations. However there is no provision for regular on-board cleaning in coaches and toilets. We had started a pilot project for on-board cleaning by professional agencies on some Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. This new system has yielded satisfactory results in cleanliness and hygiene on these trains. Therefore, it has been decided that on-board cleaning on all Rajdhani, Shatabdi and super-fast Mail and Express trains will be carried out through trained manpower of professional agencies using modern machines and material. Public address system in passenger coaches Presently, all Rajdhani and Shatabdi have a public address system. It has been decided to extend this facility to select mail/express trains. Increase in the height of Platforms Sir, Railways have three levels of platforms-high, medium and low level. Aged people, ladies and children find it extremely difficult to climb from and disembark on low level platforms. Out of the total of 244 'B' Category stations, 109 stations have high level and 135 stations have low or medium level platforms. We have decided to upgrade all low and medium level platforms at the 135 'B' Category stations to high level. Out of the total 748 'D' Category stations, 264 stations have high level, 203 stations have medium level and 281 stations have low level platforms. Low level platforms at 281 stations will be upgraded to medium level and medium level platforms at 203 stations will be upgraded to high level. Provision of Platform Shelter 29 In the absence of platform shelters at 'D' class stations passengers are put to great discomfort due to heat, cold and rain. We have therefore decided to provide platform shelter at every platform of all 748 'D' Category stations. Arrangements will be made to provide every platform of 'B' category stations with platform shelters of size 250 to 500 square meters as per requirement. These shelters will be of modern and attractive designs developed by professional agencies. Provision of Foot-over Bridges Sir, non availability of foot-over-bridges causes severe inconvenience to passengers and often leads to rail accidents. Presently there are 105 stations with high level platforms but no foot-over-bridges. Platforms of 90 B &amp; D category stations are being upgraded to high levels but there is no provision for foot-over-bridges at these stations. We have therefore decided to provide foot-over-bridges at all 195 stations of B &amp; D category having high level platforms. Increasing the Length of Platforms 31 We had decided to extend the length of platforms at 560 stations for running longer passenger trains. While work at 416 stations has been completed, the work at remaining 144 stations is likely to be completed by September 2008. Platforms at 30 more stations will be extended during the year 2008-09. The work of raising platform levels, providing platform shelters and construction of foot-over-bridges will be completed over the next two years at an estimated cost of Rs. 500 cr. Provisioning of multi-level parking It is proposed to provide multi-level car parking lots at 30 major stations to modernize car parking facilities. Provision of lifts and escalators Aged and lady passengers face considerable difficulty due to lack of lifts and escalators at big stations. Therefore, we have decided to make provision for lifts and escalators at 50 major stations. Under the present scheme, coaches carry wooden name plates indicating the originating and terminating stations. Now a days, the same rake travels to various destinations covered by more than one train. To avoid repeated changing of the wooden name plates, we have decided to install microprocessor controlled LED destination display boards. This will enable change of information on the destination boards through remote control and there will be clear visibility even during night-time. Presently, our reserved railway ticket indicates the time of departure of trains but not the time of arrival at the destination station. We have decided to start indicating the time of arrival at the destination station on reserved tickets for the convenience of the passengers. Freight Business. Under the present scheme, during the concession period of 30 years, the Special Purpose Vehicle is eligible for proportionate net income or a return of 14 per cent on equity whichever is less. The cost of investment in the construction of the project is based on actual expenditure incurred. To prevent time and cost over runs and facilitate real price discovery, it has been decided that on a pilot basis implementation of some projects will be explored on BOT basis through open tenders. The beneficiaries of the new line will give traffic guarantees. Steel Udyog-Mission 200 MT Steel production is expected to increase from 55 MT to 110 MT by the th end of the 11Plan. The Railways receives 120 MT traffic from the steel industry every year and we have targeted a traffic of 200 MT from the steel industry by 2011-12. Most of the new dedicated iron ore routes will be constructed or upgraded for 25-ton axle load and some routes will be made suitable for running 30-ton axle load trains. While works of Angul-Sukinda new line, Manoharpur-Goelkera third line and doubling of Padapahar-Banspani, Barbil-Badajamda and Dumitra-Champajharan have been approved, the work of third line between Goelkera-Adityapur and doubling of Champajharan- Bimalgarh and Jhakhpura-Banspani will also be processed for necessary approval on completion of surveys. The survey for doubling the KK line is being expedited and in the first phase, doubling of Kirandul-Jagdalpur is proposed to be undertaken. This also includes construction of the Eastern and Western corridors. 104 throughput enhancement works in progress would be completed over the next two years. This entire network will be provided with IBS by March 2009. New guidelines have been issued for completion of throughput enhancement projects on a fast track basis. Sanction and implementation of these projects will be undertaken in much less time as compared with other projects. Modern and Automatic Signaling System Sir, so far signaling has been utilized primarily for railway safety, whereas there is considerable scope to enhance line capacity through provision of modern signaling systems. Keeping this in view we have started expansion of automatic signaling system on the network. This system already exists on Delhi-Ghaziabad, Chhota Ambana-Sitarampur, Palwal-Mathura and Dhanu Road-Mumbai sections. The automatic signaling works for Kanpur-Mughalsarai section though sanctioned were frozen. We have decided to re-start the work of installation of this system on this section. We have started automatic signaling work on Ghaziabad-Kanpur section with the assistance of KfW. Work for providing automatic signaling on Howrah-Khana, Delhi-Palwal, Vadodara- Surat-Valsad-Dahanu Road have already been sanctioned. After the completion of these works, there will be a quantum jump in the existing line capacity along with considerable improvement in railway safety. Port Traffic-Mission 300 MT Indian Railways receives about 25 per cent of the total traffic from various ports. India's foreign trade is likely to increase from 650 MT to 1100 MT by 2011-12. Thus, Railways is giving top priority to port rail connectivity projects. The gauge conversion work of Gandhidham-Palanpur has been completed through formation of a special purpose vehicle under Public-Private Partnership to meet the demand of Mundra and Kandla ports. The connectivity project for Pipavav port stands completed. The gauge conversion works of Bhildi-Samdari and Rewari-Ringus-Phulera are also in progress. The work of Kurla-Wadala rail link for Mumbai port has also been approved. Special purpose vehicles have been formed for Haridaspur- Paradeep new line, Krishnapatnam port connectivity new line and gauge conversion of Bharuch-Dahej and will be formed for Surat-Hazira and Pen-Revas port new lines on priority. Rail connectivity to the ports of Dhamra and Kirtaniya through private initiative is also under consideration. The gauge conversion work of Hassan-Mangalore serving Mangalore port has been completed and work of Valarpadam-Idapalli new line for Valarpadam inland container transhipment terminal is under progress. The proposal for connectivity to Dighi port is also under consideration. A new line between Attipattu and Puttur to serve the growing demand of Ennore port has been proposed and doubling of the Rajgoda-Haldia line will be undertaken in partnership with Haldia port. Container Business-Mission 100 MT In the last three years, 15 operators have been given licenses for running container trains. Presently, 146 trains of Container Corporation and 44 container trains of other container operators are running. The number of trains run by other operators is expected to increase to 50-55 by the end of this year. The total container traffic is expected to be 26 million tonnes in 2007-08 including 2 million tonnes contributed by new operators. Presently 60 container depots are operational including three constructed by private parties. It is expected that eight container depots by Container Corporation and 40 by other operators would be developed in the coming years. Dedicated Freight Corridor The Golden Quadrilateral is the busiest and most important part of the high density network. It gives me great pleasure to inform the House that the works f Eastern freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni. Modernization of Rolling Stock 51 While in 2003-04, 6,300 wagons were manufactured whereas in 200708, 15,000 wagons are expected to be manufactured. In 2008-09, manufacture of 20,000 wagons is planned which would be the highest level of wagon productions so far. Similarly, in 2008-09, 250 diesel and 220 electric locomotives will be manufactured which would be a record in itself. Production of new generation diesel and electric locomotives will also be stepped up substantially. New Design Wagons of High Capacity With the objective of increasing the carrying capacity, from 2008-09 onwards manufacture of 20.3 tons axle load BCN and BOXN wagons will be stopped and only 22.9 tons axle load stainless steel wagons will be manufactured. The newly designed stainless steel BCN wagon has a lower tare weight. Due to the shorter length of these wagons, instead of 40 wagons, the BCN wagon train will now accommodate 58 wagons, like BOXN wagon trains. Thus, the payload of the BCN trains will increase by 78 per cent from 2300 tons to 4100 tons. Similarly the payload of open wagon trains will increase by 22 per cent, to 4100 tons. We have achieved this by reducing the tare weight and increasing the width and height of the wagons. To realize the full potential of the newly designed high capacity wagons, in 2008-09, 5000 open wagons will be upgraded to stainless steel body thereby reducing their tare weight by about two tons. Wagons for steel and petroleum products are presently fit for only 20.3 tons axle load. RDSO has developed a new 25 tons axle load BRN wagon. We have decided to cease production of 20.3 tons axle load wagons from 2008-09 onwards and start manufacture of the newly designed BRN wagons. Discussions are being held with international companies for developing new designs for the 22.9 tons axle load BTPN wagon and a decision is likely on this subject by the end of next year. Manufacture of new design wagons by wagon manufacturers Till now, wagon manufacturers have been manufacturing wagons in accordance with standard designs prescribed by RDSO. As a result most of the wagons in use on Railways are of the design of 70s and 80s. We have formulated a new policy to promote induction of wagons with modern and new designs in the Railways. This policy makes adequate provision for simplifying the process of certifying and accepting the new wagon designs and protecting the intellectual property rights of the companies. Wagon manufacturers will now also be able to import technology from abroad to bring modern designs into the Indian Railways. This policy will facilitate continuous upgradation in the wagon technology. New Wagon Leasing Policy In order to develop the wagon leasing market, we have prepared a new wagon leasing policy under which, rail customers and container operators will be able to take wagons on lease. For getting registered under the scheme, wagon leasing companies should have a minimum net worth of Rs 250 cr and will have to deposit Rs 5 cr as registration fee. Registration will be valid for 20 years and will be renewable for another 10 years on rendering satisfactory services. Leasing companies have been given full rights to choose or change their lessees. These companies will lease out special purpose wagons, high capacity wagons and container wagons. New Wagon Investment Scheme The Wagon Investment Scheme announced in the year 2005-06 has been extremely popular amongs iron-ore customers. During the last three years, approval has been accorded for an investment of over Rs 1,500 cr for procurement of 138 rakes. Against this, 42 rakes have been received so far at a cost of around Rs 500 cr. The old Wagon Investment Scheme has not been popular with other than iron-ore customers. Therefore a new liberalised Wagon Investment Scheme has been prepared. Under this scheme, investments can be made for procurement or leasing of special purpose and high capacity wagons. Freight discounts at prescribed rates will be granted for investment in special purpose wagons and high capacity wagons. Bulk and Non Bulk Goods Terminal Scheme In developed countries, cement, food grains, fertilizers etc. Are transported in bulk. There is an increasing trend for bulk movement of such commodities in our country due to reduction in the transportation cost of bulk movement. Therefore, we have made a new policy for development of bulk handing terminals. Under this policy, construction of bulk handling terminals for cement, fly ash, food grains and fertilizers will be permissible by the producers of these commodities or by their authorised agencies. These terminals will be equipped with all modern handling facilities with round the clock working. The terminal developer will also invest in special purpose wagons necessary for bulk movement. Under this scheme, wagons will move inease at prescribed rates under the land licensing policy, through open tendering to the bidder who offers maximum freight revenue. The agencies constructing such terminals on Railways lands will also be required to guarantee at least half a million ton traffic per annum during the first year and at least one million ton traffic per annum from the third year onwards. Door to Door Logistics Services The transport market in the Indian economy is undergoing rapid changes. Clients today demand point-to-point solutions in place of separate arrangements for trucks, rail etc. This service is acquiring the shape of an industry. Therefore, Railways is poised to undertake all necessary measures to make its presence felt in this market to provide its customers better point- to-point solutions at competitive prices. Under Public Private Partnership, Railways will provide several value added services including modern handling facilities, warehousing and multi-modal logistic parks. Both categories of above terminals will primarily be developed on private land. However, Railways land, wherever available, will be given on lease at prescribed rates under the land licensing policy, through open tendering to the bidder who offers maximum freight revenue. The agencies constructing such terminals on Railways lands will also be required to guarantee at least half a million ton traffic per annum during the first year and at least one million ton traffic per annum from the third year onwards. The financial turnaround of the Railways has been achieved by thinking beyond the beaten path, taking innovative decisions in commercial, operational and pricing policies and through cross functional cooperation and coordination. For making this magical turnaround durable, we will prepare a Railway Vision 2025 Document within the coming six months which will present new ideas and initiatives in a novel manner. This shall outline our preparedness and strategies for the future. This document will set forth the target for print of an organization that encourages trans-departmental decision making to take the Railways to unprecedented heights. Route wise planning would be done to reduce traffic bottlenecks, expand the network and modernize the Railways. The passenger services will be governed by two words-`comfort and convenience'. The buzz word in freight business will be 'commitment and connectivity'. All these efforts will lay a solid foundation for a resurgent Railway. This document will inspire the Railway management and its employees to do new experiments, and will be like a guiding light for the future generation. Innovation Promotion Group During the last four years passion for creativity and risk taking has led to the magical turnaround of the Railways. In the 21st century, the business scenario is changing fast at the speed of light. It is necessary to make coordinated efforts to face the new challenges and to imbibe new technique and thoughts. Therefore, we have decided to set up a multi-departmental innovation promotion group in the Railway Board. All Railway employees and citizens of the country, will be able to send their innovative suggestions to this group. This group will be provided with appropriate facilities and resources for innovation. Strategic Business Unit The last four years have seen a rise in Railways' share in transportation of steel, cement, coal etc. To maintain this progress, we have decided to set up a strategic business unit in Railway Board for coal, cement, steel and container traffic to facilitate timely settlement of all problems of our clients through a single window system. This unit will be appropriately empowered for taking full advantage of emerging business opportunities and improving Railway's competitiveness in the market. Information Technology Vision 2012 In order to make improvements in operational efficiency, bring transparency in working and provide better services to the customers, Railways are trying to bring about radical changes in Railway technology systems and processes. For achieving these objectives, attention is being focused on I.T. Applications in three core areas namely freight service management, passenger service management and general management. For getting maximum benefit in the coming years, the mantra for present and future I.T. Applications would be seamless integration. The Railways nationwide communication infrastructure will provide the foundation for a common delivery network and platform. Modern technologies like GIS, GPS and RFID will be applied progressively. A centralised information system will not only be useful for the customers but also for the organization as well. The customers will have accurate, fast and on-line access to information on various subjects. For the customer it would result in superior experience with improvements in overall efficiency, safety of Railway operations, ease of transactions and value added services like infotainment, on-board television and knowledge kiosks with internet facilities. For the organisation, planning and deployment of resources would become much easier with a panoramic view of assets and this would have a multiplier effect on productivity, organisational efficiency and staff satisfaction. The Vision for IT would be implemented over the next 5 years. Public Private Partnership Railways would have to make heavy investments for the expansion of the network, modernization and upgradation of the technology and for providing world class facilities to the customers in the coming years. For this purpose, we have made a plan to invest Rs. 2,50,000 cr, within the next 5 years. For funding a large portion of this plan, use of internal resources and borrowings will be resorted to. However it would be difficult to finance such a large investment programme solely from Railways own resources. Therefore, we have started many PPP schemes for attracting an investment of Rs 1,00,000 cr over the next 5 years. {mospagebreak} These will include projects for provision of world class facilities at metro stations, setting up state of the art rolling stock production units and construction of multi-modal logistics parks. I am happy to inform the House that through global competitive bidding, concessions would be awarded for developing the New Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, Patna and Secunderabad railway stations into world class station during 2008-09. We expect to attract an investment of nearly Rs 15,000 cr on these stations. Through open competitive bidding, PPP partners would be selected for setting up diesel loco, electric loco and rail coach factory at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 cr. It is also expected that container trains, container depot and multi-modal logistics park will attract investment to the tune of Rs 2,000 cr. It is also envisaged that Rail Land Development Authority would raise Rs. 4,000 cr during 2008-09 by making commercial use of Railways surplus land. Thus concessions committing an investment of about Rs. 25,000 cr are likely to be awarded in the year 2008-09 for various PPP projects. Le kar chala hoon sabko tarakki ki rah par Ek neev sajhedari ki maine rakhi nayee The security of passengers is our topmost priority. 5700 vacant posts of constables and 993 vacant posts of sub inspectors lying vacant in RPF for the last many years will be filled up through a comprehensive recruitment drive by May 2008. Five per cent posts in recruitment of constables and 10 per cent in recruitment of sub Inspectors have been reserved for women. The Government has recently created 973 additional posts for which recruitment will be done in a time bound manner next year. An integrated security plan has been drawn up to strengthen railway security through installation of close circuit TVs at important stations, and deploying metal detectors, baggage screening system and explosive detection and disposal system for screening passengers and their luggage. These systems will be installed at vulnerable stations through railway funds or public private partnership. Railway Protection Force will be equipped with all necessary modern equipment and adequate funds provision will be made for these works. Safety Railway safety is our highest priority. Our sustained efforts have led to significant improvement in Railways' safety. As a result the number of consequential train accidents have come down from 234 in 2005-06 to an all time minimum of 195 in 2006-07. More importantly, despite increase in traffic, the consequential train accidents per million train kilometer have come down to 0.23 in 2006-07 as compared to 0.28 in 2005-06. Sir, it gives me pleasure to inform that this trend is continuing in the year 200708 also. We are investing billions of rupees on Railway safety which is a reflection of our commitment towards safety of the rail network. The work of replacing 16538 kms of overage track and overage signals at 2359 stations and rehabilitation of 2251 bridges utilising Special Railway Safety Fund would be completed by the end of this year. Railways are also taking due precaution to make adequate provision under DRF for timely replacement of overage assets. In this context I have increased the provision in DRF to Rs. 5450 cr in 2007-08 and Rs 7000 cr in 2008-09. Sir we have prepared a multi-pronged scheme to reduce human failure as far as possible. This scheme envisages provision of automatic safety devices like Anti Collision Device, Acoustic Bearing Detectors, EOTT device, Digital Ultrasonic Flaw Detecting Machine, Ultrasonic rail testing car, track monitoring car etc to strengthen rail safety. A pilot project on Anti Collision Device to stop head on collision and collision from the rear between trains had been started in North East Frontier Railway. This has yielded encouraging results. We have therefore decided to extend this system in a phased manner over the entire Railway network. For the present in the next two years this system will be extended on three railways i.E. Southern, South Central and South Western Railway. On-line Monitoring of Rolling Stock Failure of axle box bearing and defects in the wheels increase the chances of accidents. Acoustic Bearing Detectors gives an early warning on possible defects in the bearing box, before reaching the stage of hot box whereas WILD system measures the impact of wheel on tracks to automatically identify the defective wheels in rolling stock. This improves protection and reliability of rolling stock and track. Therefore, a master plan has been prepared to install acoustic bearing detectors and wheel impact load detectors at important locations for on-line monitoring of rolling stock by investing Rs 250 cr on 65 instruments. Ultrasonic Flaw Detecting Machine At present information on track defects is gathered through analog based SRT and DRT machines. In order to improve reliability it has been planned to install over the next five years, 300 digital SRT and 200 digital DRT machines by replacing the present analog based machines. Besides Automatic Ultrasonic Rail Testing Cars, Bridge Testing Equipment and Track Monitoring Cars would be provided at a cost of Rs 140 cr under a comprehensive plan during the next five years. Fire Safety Besides using fire resistant material in coaches as per international standards a comprehensive smoke and fire detection system to give an early warning in case of smoke and fire is proposed to be installed in one rake on a pilot basis. Based on the success of trials it will be installed in all the trains in a phased manner at a cost of Rs 700 cr. Construction of ROBs and RUBs Sir, normally the construction of ROB and RUB is done on a 50:50 cost sharing basis between the Railways and state governments. There has been a delay in these works because of limited resources available with the State Governments. We have decided to construct RUBs wherever feasible in place of manned level crossings and for level crossings having eligibility for manning at Railways own cost at a maximum cost of Rs. 1.5 cr for double line and Rs.1.25 cr for single line. State Governments would have to bear only the minimum expenditure of providing connecting roads. The construction of 582 ROBs or RUBs is in progress on a 50:50 cost sharing basis with the state governments. It is proposed to take up another 100 new works of ROB s and RUB s during 2008-09. As per the present yardstick 1200 level crossings are to be replaced by ROBs. However, these ROBs could not be taken up because of lack of sanction by State Governments on a 50:50 cost sharing basis. Next year the possibility of construction of ROBs through BOT under PPP would be explored and viability gap funding would also be provided, if necessary. This is expected to result in a manifold increase in the number of ROBs constructed every year. Safety at Unmanned Level Crossings Sir, there are 16,600 manned level crossings and 18,200 unmanned level crossings on Indian Railways. With the increase in number of motor vehicles, there is a progressive increase in the rail accidents at unmanned level crossings. During winter season, the problem becomes more acute due to foggy conditions in and North Eastern states of India. The number of accidents at unmanned level crossings in 2006-07 has increased to 37% of total number of consequential train accidents as compared to 15% in the year 2000-01. Out of 195 consequential train accidents which occurred in 2006-07, 72 accidents were at the unmanned level crossings. Therefore, we have decided to make our policy more generous and comprehensive to man all the busy unmanned level crossings on a fast track basis. Social Welfare Appointment of licenced porters to the posts of gangmen and other Group D Posts Musafir aur coolie ka saath, barson se nirantar hain Ose samman dein, jo raat-din seva mein tatpar hain 78 Porters working on stations belong to scheduled castes and tribes, other backward castes, minorities and other weaker sections of society. They have been carrying the luggage of passengers for years. There are thousands of vacant posts of gangmen. A large number of additional vacancies will arise due to promotion of gangmen as gatemen for manning of unmanned level crossings gates. In view of the long pending demand of licenced porters, we have decided on a one time basis to appoint them as gangmen and to other Group D posts after due screening. Concessions Free monthly season tickets for students Presently, free monthly season tickets for second class travel between school and home is provided to girl students up to 12th standard and boy students up to 10th standard. We have now decided to extend this facility for girl students up to graduation and for boy students up to 12th standard. 50 percent concession for lady senior citizens Presently Railways give 30% concession in passenger fares of all classes to senior citizens above the age of 60. Now we have decided to increase this concession from 30% to 50% in passenger fares of all classes for lady senior citizens. Concession to Ashok Chakra awardees Param Vir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra and Vir Chakra awardees are entitled to card pass for traveling in AC II tier along with one companion which is valid in Rajdhani &amp; Shatabadi trains too. But the card passes being issued to Ashok Chakra awardees of the Indian Armed Forces doesn't have facility to travel in Rajdhani and Shatabadi trains. Now we have decided to provide the facility of traveling in Rajdhani and Shatabadi Trains on card passes issued to Ashok Chakra Awardees too. Appointments of Other Backward Castes candidates In comparison to the 2655 appointments in Group D during the year 2003-04, number of the appointments during the year 2007-08 has risen to 10,614. Sir, I am very pleased to inform this august House that the appointments of candidates from Schedule castes, Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Classes has exceeded their respective quotas earmarked for them in these appointments. For example, out of the 10,614 Group D appointments 5045 candidates were from Other Backward Castes. Minorities Welfare Cell Indian Railways have issued directions for setting up a minorities cell in Railway Board as well as in all zonal Railway offices for promoting minorities' welfare and ensuring their adequate representation in railway services. It has been made mandatory to have one member from the minority community in all the recruitment boards and committees. It has also been decided to issue recruitment notices in Urdu newspapers published in states having Urdu as the second official language. Instructions have also been issued to permit Urdu also as the medium of examination for Group D posts in such states. Staff Welfare Samarpit jiska jeevan rashtra seva mein hamesha hai Kadi mehnat kare jo , woh sipahi railkarmi hai. 14 lakh railway employees have worked relentlessly, day and night, for the financial turnaround of the Railways. In recognition of this we have increased their Bonus for 2006-07 from 65 to 70 days. Elections for railway trade unions were held on all the 16 zonal railways in November 2007 for the first time in the history of Indian Railways. Nearly 88 percent railway employee voters exercised their franchise. Now all railway trade unions have been elected democratically and this has heralded a new era in industrial relations. It has been decided that Railway employees who were earlier working in any public sector enterprise, autonomous body or any other agency under any State Government or Government of India and whose prior service has been counted for pensionary benefits will be eligible for post retirement complementary passes by giving a weightage equivalent to half of their prior service while calculating their eligibility based on length of service in the railways. Staff Benefit Fund It is proposed to increase contribution to the Staff Benefit Fund by ten times from Rs 35 to Rs 350 per employee for the year 2008-09. Health Services 13 new works have been proposed at a cost of Rs.101 crore for improving health services. Northern Railways' Central Hospital building at Delhi will be made centrally air-conditioned. The works of upgradation of two divisional hospitals to Central Hospitals at Jaipur and Hubli on Western and South Western Railway respectively, a new divisional hospital at Ranchi and construction of an OPD block at ICF are proposed. Important Achievement of Railways in the field of Sports In this year also Indian Railways has made important achievements in the field of sports at International and National levels. Indian Railways won the USIC World Railway Tennis Championship in June 2007. Indian Railway Wrestlers won 6 golds and 4 silver medals at Commonwealth Free Style and Greco Roman Style Wrestling Championship in June 2007. Indian Railway athletes won two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals at Asian Athletics Championship in July 2007. Shri Rupesh Ashwani Bhai Shah became World Champion at World Billiards Championship in September 2007. Dola Banerjee created history upon winning the gold medal in the World Archery Championship in November 2007. At the national level Indian Railways won 17 out of 26 national Championships that they participated in. Two players from Indian Railways Jyoti S Kulu for Hockey and Shri Vijender for boxing were honoured with Arjun awards for the year 2006. Former Indian Railways Hockey player Shri Virender Singh was honoured with Dhyanchand Life Time Achievement Award in Sports for the year 2007. Preservation of Heritage Railways heritage is a veritable treasure. Indian Railways Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, Nilgiri Mountain Railways and Chatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus have all been inscribed by UNESCO as world heritage sites. The Kalka Shimla Railway is also likely to be conferred this status in the near future. We have made adequate provisions for enriching the National Rail Museum and regional rail museums. Steam locomotives are the very heart of Railways heritage. We will take all possible measures to promote heritage tourism through our steam locomotives. Energy Conservation Indian Railways is committed to adopt energy efficient technologies for energy conservation. In this context it has been decided to replace 26 lakh bulbs by CFLs in all the 6 lakh staff quarters. This project is expected to save 20 crore units of electricity every year and will be funded through earnings from carbon credits under public private partnership. An elaborate plan is being made to install CFLs and T-5 lights at all stations, offices and other railway premises. International Cooperation Indian Railways is increasingly playing an important role in the world railway affairs with our leadership in UIC. I am happy to announce that recently an MOU has been signed with the Chinese Railway for mututal cooperation in areas including speed raising of existing routes, heavy haul operations and development of world class stations. India signed the Trans- Asian Agreement in June 2007. We are also playing an important role in promoting the Government's 'Look East Policy' by imparting free training to railway personnel of BIMSTEC and Mekong Ganga countries. This initiative will be extended to include SAARC countries. Establishment of Captive Thermal PowerPlant at Nabi Nagar 96 Indian Rail Bijli Company Limited has been incorporated as a joint venture with NTPC to set up a 1000 MW Railway Captive Thermal Power Plant in Nabinagar, District Aurangabad of Bihar. Production is likely to start during the current plan period. Setting up a new coach factory in Kerala In view of the increasing requirement of passenger coaches we had decided to set up a new coach factory at Rae Bareilly last year. In the past few years we have received coach supply orders from Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mayanmar, Angola, Senegal, Male etc. The demand for Metro coaches in the country is also rising steadily. In light of all these requirements a new rail coach factory will be set up in Kerala. The State Government of Kerala has also made available 1000 acres of land for this factory. Wagon re-construction unit at Garkha There has been a substantial increase in wagon production during the last four years to meet the growing demand. The need for wagon maintenance and reconstruction has also gone up. Therefore a new wagon reconstruction unit at a cost of Rs 40 cr has been proposed at Garkha in Chapra District for reconstruction of old wagons. Modernisation of Railway Workshops It is proposed to modernize Lilluah Workshop in West Bengal, Perambur Loco Workshop and Ajmer Loco Workshop at a cost of about Rs 200 cr. Modernisation and Development of Jamalpur Workshop Established in 1862, Jamalpur Workshop is one of the largest integrated workshop of Indian Railways. Production of wagons, container flats, ART cranes and tower wagons etc. Has been started in the workshop during ese factories in the coming years. Ordinance for Land Acquisition Act The process of land acquisition for railway projects through the Land Acquisition Act 1989 is extremely time consuming. Therefore, the Railways act 1989 has been amended through an Ordinance for expeditious acquisition of land for important railway projects on the pattern of NHAI Act. Under the amended provisions, land for notified special railway projects will be acquired by the competent authority appointed by the Railway. Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors, three new rolling stock production units at Marhoura, Madhepura and Rae Barelli and three throughput enhancement projects have been notified as special railway projects. Public Sector Undertakings During the year 2006-07, all the nine public sector undertakings together have achieved a turn over of Rs. 8758 cr and earned a net profit of Rs 1366 cr. The CONCOR Ltd. has earned a net profit of Rs 704 cr on a turnover of Rs 3000 cr. IRFC has registered a turnover of Rs 2284 cr and net profit of Rs 399 cr. IRCON International Ltd. Has also achieved a highest turnover of Rs 1543 cr and a net profit of Rs 76 cr. IRCON has won the biggest ever project of Rs 4000 cr for construction of a rail line in Malaysia. RITES has touched a turnover of Rs 566 cr and earned a profit of Rs 118 cr. Railtel has also become a profit earning company in the current year. Passenger Services I announce the introduction of 10 new Garib Rath, 53 new trains, extension of 16 trains and increase in frequency of 11 trains for 2008-09. Garib Rath Jaipur-Chandigarh (Tri-weekly) via Rewari-Bhiwani Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Express (Tri-weekly) Varanasi-Delhi (Tri-weekly) Bangalore-Kochuveli(Tri-weekly) Ranchi-Delhi (Bi-weekly) Jammu Tawi-Kathgodam (Weekly) (in lieu of Nizamuddin- Dehradun) Garib Rath Express announced in the Railway Budget 2007- 2008) Yesvantpur-Puducherry (Tri-weekly) Jabalpur-Mumbai (Bi-weekly) Delhi-Jaynagar (Bi-Weekly) via Patna Pune-Nagpur(Tri-weekly). New Trains Amravati-Mumbai Express (Bi-weekly) Chennai -Tiruchendur Express (Weekly) Hyderabad-Usmanabad Express (Tri-weekly) Bhubaneshwar-Mumbai Express (Bi-weekly) via Sambalpur Amritsar-Saharsa Jan Sadharan Express (Weekly) via Hasanpur Ranchi-Chopan Express (Tri-weekly) Asansol-Mumbai Express via Jasidih (Weekly) with restoration of Howrah-Mumbai Mail via Gaya on all 7 days of the week. Kamakhya-Gandhidham Express (Weekly) Kochuveli-Dehradun Express (weekly) Jaynagar-Saharsa Janaki Express (Tri-weekly) via Hasanpur New Dibrugarh Town-Kamakhya Express (Tri-weekly) via Moranhat Machallipatnam-Bangalore Express (Tri-weekly) Surat-Muzaffarpur Express (Weekly) via Azamgarh -Chhapra Amritsar-Kochuveli Express (Weekly) Delhi-Pathankot Express (Tri-weekly) via Amritsar Malda Town-Patna Express (Tri-weekly) via Bhagalpur Indore-Udaipur Express (Tri-weekly) via Ratlam Varanasi-Rameshwaram Express (Weekly) Delhi-Jogbani Link Express (Weekly) Khajuraho-Delhi Link Express (Tri-Weekly) Kamakhya-Gaya Express (Weekly) Ramnagar-Delhi Link Express (Daily) Kolkata-Murshidabad Hazar Duari Express (Weekly) Mathura-Chhapra Express (Tri-weekly) Gwalior-Indore Express (Tri-weekly) Udaipur-Delhi Chetak Express (Tri-weekly) via Ajmer-Neem-ka-. Puri-Darbhanga Express (Weekly) Yesvantpur-Jodhpur Express (Weekly) Radhikapur-Delhi Express (Weekly) Vasco-da-gama-Patna Express (Weekly) via Konkan railway Paradeep-Bhubaneshwar Express (Daily) in lieu of one pair passenger service between Paradeep and Cuttack Bilaspur-Pune Express (Weekly) Kendurjhargarh-Puri Express (Daily) Gaya-Chennai Express (Weekly) Balharshah-Mumbai Link Express (Daily) New Dibrugarh Town-Yesvantpur Express (Weekly) via Moranhat Ranchi-Bhagalpur Express (Tri-weekly) via Kiul in lieu of 3405/3406 Ranchi-Bhagalpur Vananchal Express (Bi-weekly via Kiul) Lucknow-Delhi Air Conditioned Express (Tri-weekly) Dehradun-Delhi Air Conditioned Express (Six days) Ahmedabad-Mumbai Air Conditioned Express (Weekly) Chennai-Rameshwaram Express (Daily) via Mayiladuthurai- Karaikudi(after Gauge conversion) Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Express (Daily) via Mayiladuthurai (after Gauge conversion) Chennai-Salem Express (Daily) via Vriddhachalam (after Gauge conversion) Madurai-Tenkasi Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion) Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion). Mysore-Nanjanagud Town Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion) Ahmedabad-Patan Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion) Dabhoi-Pratapnagar Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion) Hajipur-Phulwaria passenger (Daily) (upon commissioning of new line) Itarsi-Katni Passenger (Daily) Shoranur-Nilambur Road Passenger (Daily) Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur Passenger (Daily) Vasai Road-Panvel MEMU (Daily) Extension of Trains I feel extremely happy to propose the extension in services of the following 16 pairs of trains: 8611/8612 Varanasi-Ranchi to Sambalpur via Rourkela (bi weekly) 2677/2678 Bangalore-Coimbatore Express to Ernakulam 4207/4208 Delhi-Raebareli Padmavat Express to Pratapgarh 7405/7406 Tirupati-Nizamabad Krishna Express to Adilabad 3225/3226 Danapur-Darbhanga Express to Jaynagar 2855/2856 Nagpur-Raipur Express to Bilaspur. 2691/2692 Chennai-Bangalore Express to Sri Sathyasai Prashanti Nilayam 6733/6734 Madurai-Manmad Express to Rameswaram on one side and Okha on the other 2141/2142 Rajendranagar(T)-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Express to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus 2409/2410 Nizamuddin-Bilaspur Gondwana Express to Raigarh 4201/4202 Mathura-Lucknow Express to Patna 2083/2084 Coimbatore-Kumbakonam Jan Shatabdi Express to Mayiladuthurai (after Gauge conversion) 1423/1424 Solapur-Bagalkot Express to Gadag(after Gauge conversion) 571/572 Bangalore-Salem Passenger to Nagore (after Gauge conversion) 724/725 Tuticorin-Tirunelveli Passenger to Tiruchendur 356/357 Dharwar-Gadag Passenger to Bijapur. Increase in frequency: It gives me immense pleasure to propose the increase in frequency of 11 pairs of train services during the year 2008-2009: 2425/2426 New Delhi-Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express from weekly to daily 2203/2204 Amritsar-Saharsa Garib Rath from bi-weekly to tri-weekly 2449/2450 Nizamuddin-Madgaon Goa Sampark Kranti Express from weekly to bi -weekly 6513/6514 Bagalkot-Yesvantpur Basava Express from tri-weekly to daily 3403/3404 Bhagalpur-Ranchi Express via Andal from five days to daily 6 2891/2892 Baripada-Bhubaneswar Express from tri-weekly to six days a week 2151/2152 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Howrah Samrasta Express from weekly to bi-weekly 2421/2422 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express from bi-weekly to tri-weekly 2947/2948 Ahmedabad-Patna Azimabad Express from weekly to biweekly 2431/2432 Nizamuddin-Thiruvanthapuram Rajdhani Express from biweekly to tri-weekly 5109/5110 Varanasi-Rajgir Buddh Purnima Express from tri-weekly to daily The tercentenary function of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Gurta Gaddi is being celebrated by Gurudwara Sachkhand Sahib, Nanded. In view of the importance of this occasion, I announce special trains during this period from Anandpur Sahib and Patna Sahib to Gurudwara Sachkhand Sahib. The Commonwealth Youth Games are being organized in Pune from 12 October to 18 October 2008 as a prelude to the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi in the year 2010. Keeping in view the importance of these Games, I announce special train between Pune and Delhi, during this period. Annual Plan 2008-09 Sir, the Annual Plan of 2008-09 is the highest ever annual plan of the railways. It is proposed to invest Rs 37,500 cr, which is 21 percent more than the previous year. The total budgetary support to be received from General exchequer is Rs. 7874 cr including Rs. 774 cr to be provided from Central Road Fund. In this manner internal and external budgetary resources would constitute 79 percent of the annual plan. Under this Plan, priority has been given to enhancement of rail capacity, modernization of the railway, throughput enhancement on HDN routes, traffic facility works and expansion and development of the network. Construction of flyovers, bypasses, IBS, upgradation of goods shed etc traffic facilities works will be completed on priority. The outlay for doubling works has been increased to Rs. 2,500 cr, traffic facility works to Rs 984 cr and an outlay of Rs 1535 cr has been proposed for projects under implementation by RVNL. Provision of Rs. 1730 cr for new lines, Rs. 2489 cr for gauge conversion, Rs. 626 cr for electrification and Rs. 650 cr for Metropolitan Transport Projects has been made. On safety related plan heads, provision has been made for Rs.3600 cr for track renewals, Rs.1520 cr for signal and telecommunication works, Rs.700 cr for Road over Bridges and Road under Bridges and Rs.600 cr for manning of unmanned level crossings. Additional funds to the tune of Rs.1712 cr have been sought from Ministry of Finance for national projects of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla, Jiribam-Imphal Road, Dimapur-Kohima, Azra-Byrnihat and Kumarghat-Agartala new line, Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road Bridge and Lumding-Silchar-Jiribam, Rangia-Murkongselek gauge conversion. Ongoing Projects During the current year, 2300 km broad gauge lines are likely to be completed. The target for construction of broad gauge lines in 2008-09 is 3500 km. The construction of new line between Kakapore and Badgam in the Kashmir valley has already been completed and the remaining portion in the valley will be completed in 2008-09. I would like to express my gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister for deciding the funding of National Projects in the Northeastern region, through 25 percent funds from Railways Gross Budgetary Support and balance 75 percent as an additionality. It is also proposed to create a non-lapsable Northeast Rail Development Fund. New Lines Sir, 155 km of new line is likely to be completed in 2007-08. Bangalore-Neelamangala section of Bangalore -Hassan has already been completed. Manu-Ambassa of Kumarghat-Agartala, Mahoba-Khajuraho, Bikramganj-Piro of Ara-Sasaram and Deogarh-Ghormara of Deogarh-Dumka are likely to be completed soon. A target of 350 kms has been fixed for construction of new lines in 2008-09. Some prominent sections are as follows : Ghormara-Dumka of Deogarh-Dumka Nagapattinam-Velankanni Yerraguntla-Nossam of Yerraguntla-Nandyal Harpanhalli-Harihar On completion of these sections, Deogarh-Dumka and Kottur-Harihar new line projects will be completed. Gauge Conversion Gauge conversion of Vriddhachalam-Attur of Salem-Cuddalore, Purna- Hingoli of Purna-Akola, Jaynagar-Darbhanga, Sherabazar-Rainagar of Bankura Damodar Railway line, Barsoi-Radhikapur, Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur, New Coochbehar-Bamanhat, Samastipur-Ruseraghat of Samastipur-Khagaria, Pipar Road-Bilara and Sabarmati-Khodiyar has already been completed during the current year. Besides these, gauge conversion of Rewari-Sadulpur-Hissar, Katihar-Jogbani, Osmanabad-Kurduwadi of Miraj-Latur, Rewari-Ringus- Phulera, Karaikkudi-Manamadurai of Trichy-Manamadurai, Tiruvarur- Nagore of Trichy-Nagore-Karaikal, Hingoli-Akola of Purna-Akola, Bagalkot-Gadag of Solapur-Gadag and Guntakal-Kalluru are likely to be completed early. After completion of gauge conversion of these sections, the projects of Salem-Cuddalore, Jogbani-Katihar-Radhikapur, Samastipur-Khagaria, Purna- Akola, Pipar Road-Bilara, Trichy-Manamadurai, Solapur-Gadag and Guntur-Guntakal-Kalluru will get fully completed. During 2008-09, a target of completion of gauge conversion of about 2150 kms has been fixed including the following sections: Pandharpur-Miraj of Miraj-Latur Naupada-Gunupur Mathura-Achnera Aunrihar-Jaunpur Fakiragram-Dhubri Purnea-Saharsa Sarupsar-Sriganganagar Ajmer-Phulera Bhildi-Samdari Balaghat-Katangi of Jabalpur-Gondia Madanapalli-Dharmavaram of Dharmavaram-Pakala Anandpuram-Talguppa of Shimoga-Talguppa Sitamarhi-Narkatiaganj Tiruvannamalai-Villupuram of Katpadi - Villupuram Bodeli-Chhota Udepur of Pratapnagar-Chhota Udepur Wansjalia-Jetalsar of Rajkot-Veraval. With the completion of these sections, Miraj-Latur, Naupada-Gunupur, Mathura-Achnera, Aunrihar-Jaunpur, Rewari-Ringus-Ajmer, Bhildi-Samdari, Dharmavaram-Pakala, Katpadi-Villupuram, Sriganganagar