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Showing posts from February 9, 2014

Rail Budget 2014: The turbulent five years of Indian Railways

New Delhi:  The UPA 2 will present its interim Railway Budget on Wednesday, with a change in fares unlikely. It is the last Rail Budget for the UPA 2 before the Lok Sabha elections and the past five years have been a turbulent phase. The question is whether things are on track. This will be the last budget of the most turbulent phase of the Indian Railways. The two parties that ruled the railways in the past five years blame it on each other. "Pawan Bansal was accused of bribery, Mallikarjun Kharge is of no use, both spoiled the railways," said Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy. But Congress MP Oscar Fernandes has said that Railways is on the right track. "Railways is on track as development is taking place," Fernandes said. In the past five years, the Rail Bhawan saw six new ministers. For the first time in 17 years, the portfolio went to the Congress. Pawan Bansal did end 10 years of populism by announcing a hike in passenger fare, but soon exited on charges o...