Minister Bansal’s Confidence…

 “A bird sitting on the tree has no fear of falling ... not because the branch is solid but because it has faith in its wings.”

A quote among few others by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal while presenting his maiden Rail Budget 2013-14 on Tuesday. It couldn’t have been more apt for him, as he gave his speech with much confidence and not to be rattled by agitated Opposition members accusing him of ignoring their States/constituencies.

The confidence apparently comes from the basic thrust given in the Budget: there has been no fresh hike in fares; 67 new Express trains and 26 new passenger trains to be introduced; 22 projects of new lines; better passenger amenities; safety to be given priority, private investment to be sought through PPP projects; staff vacancies to be filled; fiscal discipline to be invoked by not taking up many new projects, not presenting any supplementary demands for grants, paying back loan to Finance Ministry etc.

Of course, there is a small catch as per the Opposition. Freight charges are going to go up, but Bansal promises only marginally-- about 5 per cent. That too he claims will be only if the fuel and electricity cost goes up, which he says “may even come down.” The increase in fuel bill for the Railways for 2013-14 would be more than Rs 5,100 crore and thus finances need to be “rationally insulated” is the explanation. Thus, there shall be a Fuel Adjustment Component (FAC) which will be dynamic in nature and change in either direction twice a year. In simple terms, certain commodities shall as grain and pulses, groundnut oil, urea shall be more expensive and shall have an effect on inflation!      

However, the Railways want to reach out to its passengers and the “needs of the people”. It proposes to focus on bringing about a marked change in the level of passenger amenities with a long list: clean 104 stations, serving a population of over one million; extension of bio-toilets; more mechanized laundries for clean linen; free Wi-Fi facility on several trains etc. For those looking for higher travel comfort, the Railways shall introduce one such coach “Anubhuti” in select trains which will provide “an excellent ambience, latest modern facilities and services, of course at an additional cost. And this clearly would not impact the aam admi.  

Likewise, the Railways wants to further modernise itself and “harness the IT revolution” by:  extending internet ticketing facility from 0030 hours to 2330 hrs; make e-ticketing possible through mobile phones; SMS alerts to passengers providing updates on reservation status; putting a Next Generation e-ticketing system which will support 7200 tickets per minute as compared to prevalent 2000; it will support 1,20,000 simultaneous users at any point against present capacity of 40,000 users.

While Bansal claims no new raise in fare after the one already done in January, passengers would need to shell out more by way of reservation, tatkal and cancellation charges. Only nominally, he says by Rs 15-20 so as to ensure “better quality” and dissuade travel agents from purchasing bulk tickets and selling them at higher prices. Yet again the common man will not be affected.

Given the confidence that rail services are to improve, Bansal hasn’t forgotten those providing it i.e. the Railway Parivar (family). It can too look to better times: Rs 300 crore allocated for staff quarters; hostel facilities for single women railway employees; better barracks for RPF personnel; water closets and air conditioned cabs for loco-pilots. And not to forget that the family should grow around 1.52 lakh vacancies are to be filled this year.

At the end, the Congress Railway Minister, presenting the budget after a gap of 17 years has also kept in mind next year—General Elections 2014. He has announced eight new rail-based industries such as Forged Wheel factory, Mailine Electrical Multiple Units manufacturing facility, coal manufacturing unit to “meet increasing demand…generate employment”. Of interest is their location. Barring two, these are in Congress-ruled States of Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh (Minister’s constituency) and Rae Bareli (Sonia Gandhi’s constituency).    

While Parliament shall debate over the Rail Budget before giving the nod, Bansal appears confident of his Ministry negotiating and overcoming all difficulties. Similar to his end quote:  But later on the journey….the engine’s singing still. If you listen very quietly, You will hear this little song, “I thought I could….I could!” And so it speeds along.