NEW DELHI, 18 March (H.S.) : The Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnav, expressed his
gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the Prime Minister's
keen interest in the railway sector, which has led to a historic budget
allocation of ₹2,52,000 crore for railways. He also extended his thanks to the
finance minister and the members of parliament who engaged in discussions on
this matter throughout the year. In his address to the Lok Sabha, Vaishnav
noted that the Railways faced significant financial challenges during the Covid-19
pandemic; however, it has now successfully navigated through that crisis.
Presently, the railways are capable of covering most of their expenses through
their own revenue.
He highlighted the significant expenditures of the
Railways, noting that ₹1,16,000 crore is allocated for capital expenditure,
₹66,000 crore for pension costs, ₹32,000 crore for energy expenses, and ₹25,000
crore for finance costs. The overall expenditure amounts to ₹2,75,000 crore,
whereas the total revenue generated by the railways is approximately ₹2,76,000
crore.
He highlighted the significant expenditures of the
Railways, noting that ₹1,16,000 crore is allocated for capital expenditure,
₹66,000 crore for pension costs, ₹32,000 crore for energy expenses, and ₹25,000
crore for finance costs. The overall expenditure amounts to ₹2,75,000 crore,
while the Railways' total income is approximately ₹2,76,000 crore. The minister
further mentioned that the Railways offers a subsidy of ₹7,000 crore to its
passengers and has not raised ticket prices since 2020. He emphasized that
railway fares remain lower than those in neighbouring countries.
Hindusthan Samachar / Meenakshi Bhattacharya