Highlights from Railway Budget 2015-16

1. Railway Budget 2015-16 tabled in the Parliament, No increase in Rail Fares

i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has presented his maiden Rail Budget today in the Parliament. This is the first full-fledged rail - budget of the NDA government.

ii. There has been no increase in the rail fares in the current budget. Earlier in July 2014, in the first Railway budget of Narendra Modi government, fares were increased by 14.2 per cent and freight rates were increased by 6.5 per cent.

iii. According to the Budget, Wi-Fi facility will be provided in 400 stations. Also, now passenger can book their rail tickets in 120 days in advance instead of 60 days provided earlier.

iv. The ministry had received 20,000 suggestions on social media during the formative phase of the Railway Budget 2015-16. "We received over 20,000 responses from people on social media and some of the suggestions are there in the Budget," Prabhu said in his maiden Budget speech in Parliament.

Railway Minister has announced 4 Goals for transformation of Indian Railways which are:

Goal 1-Customer experience to receive a huge boost

Goal 2 - Safer Travel

Goal 3 -Modernize infrastructure

Goal 4- Indian Railways- Financially self-sustainable

Highlights of Rail Budget 2015-16:

1. No increase in Rail Fares.

2. Rail tickets can now be booked 120 days in advance instead of 60 days.

3. Plan expenditure to go up to a record Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2015-16 from Rs 66,000 crore in the previous year

4. All-India 24X7 helpline - 138, to be effective from March 1,2015.

5. Toll free number 182 created for security related complaints

6. Rs 8.5 lakh crore to be invested in Railways over 5 years

7. Allotment for passenger facilities hiked by 67%

8. SMS alert services for passengers to inform them about arrival and departure of trains

9. Government to introduce Malaviya Chair at IIT/BHU for Railway technology

10. Bio toilets in trains; airplane type toilets in trains.

11. CCTVs to be introduced in selective trains and suburban trains for women safety.

12. Rs.2000 cr for Coastal Connectivity Program

13. Rs.2500 cr through BOT/Annuity route.

14. 1000 MW Solar plant

15. 100DEMUs to dual fuel

16. In 400 stations wi-fi facility will be provided

17. 1330% increase in railway electrification over previous year.

18. By 2019, the proposed investment in Railways would be in tune of Rs 856021 crore.

19. Operation 5 minutes to ensure that a passenger travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5 minutes.

20. 492 section of IR - running at a capacity of more than 100%

21. 228 running between 80-100%

22. Proposed the best operating ratio in nine years, of 88.5 per cent for 2015-16

23. Hand-held devices for ticket checkers for moving towards paperless ticketing

24. Centrally managed railway display network in over 2000 stations in next 2 years

25. .Mobile application to address complaints of people is also being developed

26. Railway University will be set up in FY16

27. Online application for all recruitment process

28. 6608 kms of track to be electrified

29. Projects worth Rs 96,182 crore to expand capacity of 9,420 km rail lines

30. SMS alert to be introduced for train timings

31. Skill development and self-employment to be encouraged on Konkan Railway model

32. Make in India opportunities - Speedier Railway - 9 hi-speed corridors, high speed trains

33. Satellite railway terminals in major cities - 10 select stations

34. E-catering introduced in 108 trains, can order on IRCTC website

35. The speed passenger trains across nine corridors will be increased to 160-200 km from 110 km

36. Feasibility report of high speed train between Mumbai and Ahmadabad expected by mid-2015.

37. Rs 6,750 crore allocated for eliminating 3438 level crossings

38. 970 road-under bridge and road-over bridge to be constructed.

39. More general class coaches to be added in identified trains; more AC EMU services for Mumbai suburban section.

40. Railways will play a big role in socio-economic development of the country

2. Export-Import Bank of India extends $55 million credit line to Congo

i. Export-Import Bank of India has extended a $55 million line of credit (LoC) to the Republic of Congo to set up a green field 600 tpd rotary kiln cement plant.

ii. The line of credit has been extended for the third time the government to the Central African nation.

iii. Earlier, it was given $70 million for financing a rural electrification project and $89.90 million for developing a transport system.

iv. Under the LoC, Exim Bank will reimburse 100 per cent of the contract value to Indian exporters, upfront upon the shipment of equipment and goods/provision of services.

3. Mumbai University inks deal with Indian Railways

i. Mumbai University has signed an agreement with Indian Railways to set up a Rail Innovation and Technology Centre to train students for expertise in Railway Engineering.

ii. Under the agreement Indian Railways will allocate 142.89 crore rupees budget for the centre over the next five academic years. iii. Mumbai University will trained the candidates at university's campus Kalina, Ratnagiri and Kalyan.

4. Ratan Tata honoured with Doctorate of Automotive Engineering

i. Clemson University has honoured Mr. Ratan Tata with the Doctorate of Automotive Engineering at the South Carolina Automotive Summit held in Washingotn.

ii. Dean of Clemson's College of Engineering and Science AnandGramopadhye said Tata not only is a titan in the automotive industry in India, but he also is a giant in the global marketplace.

Note: Ratan Tata completed his graduation in architecture from Cornell University in 1962 and Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

5. TRAI amended the MNP regulations, effective from May 3, 2015

i. Pan India Mobile number portability will be effective from May 3, 2015 which helps user or subscriber to retain the same mobile number on relocating to anywhere in India.

ii. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India amended the mobile number portability (MNP) regulations to allow users to change their service provider in any part of the country while retaining the number.

iii. At present, number portability within a telecom circle is possible. To carry a number outside the home circle, a subscriber pays roaming charges plus applicable STD call rates.

iv. In a statement, TRAI said, it has issued the sixth amendment to the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulation, 2009, which will facilitate nationwide portability with effect from May 3.

6. Government give green signal for 15000 MW grid-connected solar projects

i. The Government of India has given the green signal to implement the scheme for setting up of 15,000 Mega Watt Grid-connected Solar Photo Voltaic Power projects under the National Solar Mission.

ii. The scheme will be implemented through NTPC and NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam Limited.

iii. The completion of the projects under the Mission would accelerate the process of achieving grid tariff parity for solar power and also help reduce consumption of kerosene and diesel.