New Delhi, Mar 14 (IANS): Set to present his maiden budget in parliament Wednesday, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said it would keep in my mind the needs of the common man and the country.
"The budget is going to be very good for the country and the common man. I have to make sure that Indian Railways is solid like gold," Trivedi told reporters before leaving Rail Bhavan for parliament.
"The railways are one of the most important infrastructure. Without the railways growing, India's GDP cannot grow," the minister added.
The following are the highlights of the railway budget for 2012-13 presented in parliament Wednesday by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi:
* Stress on strengthening safety. Has to be be benchmarked with the best in the world.
* Target of reducing accidents from 0.55 to 0.17 has been met.
* Special purpose vehicle to be set up on safety protocols.
* Independent railway safety authority to be set up as statutory safety body.
* Investment of Rs.5.60 lakh crore required for modernisation.
* Railways to invest Rs.7.35 lakh crore during 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17), a quantum jump from the Rs.1.92 lakh crore invested in previous plan period.
* Railways must attract 10 percent of the Rs.20 lakh crore government expects to spend on infrastructure during 12th Plan
* Railways expect gross budgetary support of Rs.2.5 lakh crore during 12th Plan.
* Collective challenge to formulate viable funding mechanism for modernisation.
* Railways should contribute 2 percent of GDP from the present 1 percent.
* Stress on strengthening safety. Has to be be benchmarked with the best in the world.
* Target of reducing accidents from 0.55 to 0.17 has been met.
* Special purpose vehicle to be set up on safety protocols.
* Independent railway safety authority to be set up as statutory safety body.
* Investment of Rs.5.60 lakh crore required for modernisation.
* Outlay of Rs.60,100 crore during 2012-13, the highest ever.
* Railways will require Rs.14 lakh crore in the next 10 years for modernisation.
* Aim to bring down operating ratio from 90 percent to 84.9 percent in 2012-13 and to 72 percent by 2016-17.
* Time has come for formulating national policy for railways on the lines of that for defence and external affairs.
* Railways should grow at 10 percent annually for sustained GDP growth.
* Railways to invest Rs.7.35 lakh crore during 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17), a quantum jump from the Rs.1.92 lakh crore invested in previous plan period.
* Railways must attract 10 percent of the Rs.20 lakh crore government expects to spend on infrastructure during 12th Plan.
* Railways expect gross budgetary support of Rs.2.5 lakh crore during 12th Plan.
* Collective challenge to formulate viable funding mechanism for modernisation.
* Railways should contribute 2 percent of GDP from the present 1 percent.
* Stress on strengthening safety. Has to be be benchmarked with the best in the world.
* Target of reducing accidents from 0.55 to 0.17 has been met.
* Special purpose vehicle to be set up on safety protocols.
* Independent railway safety authority to be set up as statutory safety body.
* Investment of Rs.5.60 lakh crore required for modernisation.
Safety will the primary focus of Indian Railways as it enters the 12th Five Year Plan beginning April 1, Minister Dinesh Trivedi said Wednesday, while presenting his ministry's budget for the next fiscal.
"My focus will be safe safety, safety, safety," Trivedi told the Lok Sabha, adding this was the decision he took as soon as he assumed charge his ministry last year against the backdrop of a rail accident in Uttar Pradesh last year.
"I wow to target zero deaths," he said in his maiden rail budget speech. "I also propose to set up an independent railway safety authority, as recommended by an expert group headed by the former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar."
The Indian Railways run the third largest railroad network in the world spread over some 64,000 route km, with 12,000 passenger and 7,000 freight trains each day from as many as 7,083 stations to ferry 23 million travellers and 2.65 million tonnes of goods daily.