Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Monday said that the government is giving top priority to safety in railways. Railways is spending Rs 1.14 lakh crore per annum on safety.
Responding to the discussion on the Railway Amendment Bill 2024 in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said that the annual rail accident rate has come down from 171 incidents to 30. The Railway Amendment Bill 2024 was approved by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 11 last year. The Railway Amendment Bill, 2024 provides for increasing the independence of the Railway Board and improving its functioning.
Response to Railway Amendment Bill
The Railway Minister said, 'In the UPA government, the investment for increasing safety used to be between Rs 8 thousand to 10 thousand crore. Today we are investing more than Rs 1.14 lakh crore every year on increasing safety. He said that steps have been taken to improve tracks, safety equipment and level crossings.'
He said that 4.11 lakh jobs were given during the UPA tenure, and 5.02 lakh jobs were given in the NDA government. He said, now the general managers have 100 percent authority to accept the contract, whether the tender amount is Rs 10 crore or Rs 1,000 crore. General managers have also been given the right to approve projects less than Rs 50 crore. Vaishnav rejected the opposition's apprehension that the Railway Amendment Bill would reduce the power of state governments.
Advised the opposition not to do politics
The Railway Minister advised not to do politics on rail accidents like the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station during Kumbh, saying that the Railway Ministry has taken several measures learning from this incident, which includes creating waiting areas to control the crowd at major stations of the country.
Vaishnav said that the matter is under investigation. It is worth mentioning that on February 15, 18 people died in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. Opposition members accused the government of trying to take control of the Railway Board through the Railway Amendment Bill, 2024, and said it was avoiding scrutiny by a parliamentary committee.
Congress member Vivek K. Tankha alleged that the independence of the Railway Board has ended under the proposed law. He demanded autonomy for the Railway Board. Trinamool Congress's Prakash Baraik said the bill should be sent to a select committee of Parliament.
Bhagwant Mann's government of Punjab has declared the entire state as a disaster affected state.
PM Modi: PM Modi will visit Thailand and Sri Lanka; and will attend BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Thailand and Sri Lanka next month. An official announceme
The Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Bill, 2025, has now become a law after the President's
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday criticized Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Ra
Jitesh Sharma's brilliant captaincy innings led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a 6-wicket w
Ladakh environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, who was arrested after the violent protests in Leh on Sep
Grand welcome for PM Modi in Sri Lanka, 5 ministers welcomed him with guard of honor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Sri Lanka on a three-day visit after his visit to Tha
Actor-turned-politician Vijay has started entering Tamil Nadu politics. His party, Tamilaga Vetri
Following two consecutive defeats to India in the 2025 Asia Cup in Dubai, Pakistan's former Prime
Iran has retaliated after Israel attacked nuclear plants. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kha
