New Delhi: The Indian Railways, whose allocation has touched a record Rs 2.62 lakh crore in 10 years, plans to spend a major chunk of the Budget on passenger safety by speeding up the installation of the Kavach automatic train protection system, said Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. He mentioned that of the Rs 2.62 lakh crore, Rs 1.08 lakh crore will be spent on passenger safety activities such as replacing old tracks, bettering the signalling system as well as the construction of flyovers and underpasses.
Kavach remained the top priority among these safety measures, said Vaishnaw, adding that Kavach 4.0 — an upgraded automatic train-protection system — had been greenlighted by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation. This will pave the way for the rapid installation of the upgraded Kavach system, said the minister for railways. Kavach installation will receive a boost from the 4,275 km wide optical fibre network laid down by the Indian railways, said Vaishnaw.
Other factors expected to facilitate Kavach are:
Telecom towers
Track RFID devices
Station Kavach
Loco Kavach
Catering to the masses
The Indian Railways is focused on catering to the low- and middle-income group passengers, said Vaishnaw. This is why, the Indian Railways has decided to maintain a one-third to two-thirds ratio of air-conditioned and general coaches, respectively, he added. This ratio applies to every train set. “In another decision, 10,000 more general coaches will be manufactured to cater to the rising demand. The budget covers both the decisions,” he added.
Railway Budget evolution
The Railway Budget allocation has surged to Ra 2.62 lakh crore in 2024 from Rs 35,000 crore in 2014, said the railways minister. “Before 2014, in 60 years, only 20,000 km of rail route was electrified but in the last 10 years, 40,000 km of rail route has been electrified,” he added.
Key initiatives taken by the Indian Railways in the past 10 years include:
Railway infrastructure expansion
Bottleneck removal
Manufacturing boost for engines and coaches
Introduction of new technology
Overall, 5 lakh jobs were offered under Modi government, 20 per cent more than the 4.11 lakh jobs offered under UPA rule, the railways minister said.
The Indian Railways will spend a major chunk of its Budget to install Kavach automatic train protection system among other passenger safety measures, said Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
