NEW DELHI: The NDA’s maiden Rail Budget, to be presented on Tuesday, aims at a complete makeover and improving the health of the cash-strapped Indian Railways, the largest mode of mass transport in the country. Innovation, modernisation, efficiency, punctuality, cleanliness, increased role of private sector and services top Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda’s agenda.
Gowda said the Budget should be about improving services, including modern amenities like bullet trains, airports-standard railway stations, quality food in trains, modern and clean coaches, safety, an effective grievance redressing mechanism, and technology-driven services like Wi-Fi in trains. After the bitter pill of 14.2 per cent increase in passenger fares last month, the Rail Budget would be more about presenting the government’s vision to improve the Railways.