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Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has come up with the Railway Budget 2011, announcing several facilities for the state.
[Railway-Buget-2011] Like the two previous budgets, Mamata Banerjee yet again focused on West Bengal, giving the state maximum benefits in the budget. She announced new facilities for volatile Singur and Nandigram.
Mamata announced a reduction of 50% in booking charges for both AC and non-AC tickets. She also promised to remove all unmanned crossing in the country by 2012.
The opposition members shouted slogans and disrupted Mamata’s budget speech, when she continued to announce measures for West Bengal.
Here are the Key Highlights of Union Railway Budget 2011:
1) Railways to have annual investment of Rs 57,630 crore
2) 85 proposals through public-private partnership
3) Vision 2020: Rail-based industries to be set up across India
4) Focus on sustainable growth with a human face
5) New Railway line capacity to be increased to 700 km
6) Diesel Locomotive Centre in Manipur
7) Imphal in Manipur to be connected by Railways
8) Metro Coach Factory in Singur
9) Metro Coach Factory to be in Kolkata
10) Bridge Factory in J&K
11) Special Software Unit in Darjeeling
12) Rail Industrial Park in Nandigram
13) Coach Factory to be set up in Palakkad in Kerala
14) Gas-based Power Plant at Thakurli in Maharashtra
15) First Coach from Rae Bareli to be roll out in three months
16) 10,000 shelters for the poor
17) Will set up railway lines in dificult and inacessible areas
18) 3 Railway Zones will have anti-collision device
19) Will make efforts to stop ‘Rail Roko’ agitations
20) Will set up funds for social sector projects
21) To raise Rs 10,000 crore through tax-free bonds
22) Number of rails increased from 16,000 to 18,000 in 2010
23) Will ensure safety of rail passengers
24) Will remove all unmanned crossing by 2012
25) States with low accident rates will be given incentives
26) Two special trains for states where no accidents occur
27) Rs 13,824 crore to be spent to buy rolling stocks
28) Have saved over Rs 300 crore by realignment
29) 442 new railway stations by March 2012
30) Will upgrade 584 existing stations
31) ‘Go India Fast’ Smartcard launched
32) Rs 9,583 crore to be spent on new lines
33) Year 2011 will be the ‘Year of Clean Energy’ for Railways
34) There will be a rail revolution in PM’s name
35) To provide 12,000 crore acres of land for East-West Corridor
36) Steps to ensure safety of 14 lakh Railway employees
37) Safety guarantee schemes for Railway employees
38) News schemes for elderly railway employees
39) Scholarship programmes for low income groups
40) Ticket booking charges for AC and Non-AC to be reduced by 50%
41) To set up 5 Polytechnics to help Home Ministry
42) To set up ‘Sports Cadre’ for deserving sportspersons
43) Steps will be taken to fill up backlogs in the railway recruitments and RPF
44) To introduce trolleys at Railway Stations
45) Special provision for the movement of physically challenged people
46) Kolkata Metro to be expanded
47) Railway earning to cross Rs 1 lakh crore mark
48) Expected Operating Ratio – 91.1
49) Railways going through tough phases. To cut losses through austerity measures
50) Railways had to spend additional Rs 76,000 crore due to 6th Pay Commission Recommendations.
51) To induct 16,000 ex-servicemen by end of 2011
52) Physical handicapped persons and elderly people will get further concessions. 40% concession for senior citizens
53) Integrated networks in five cities
54) Suburban networks to be developed
55) Two Double Decker trains to be introduced this year, including Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Jaipur-Delhi route.
56) Women above 58 years of age to get concessions
57) New Trains for RN Tagore and Swami Vivekanand birth anniversaries
58) Chennai gets 9 new Trains for suburban services
59) 47 new trains for Mumbai Suburban services
60) Mumbai-Howrah, Chennai-Kolkata Duronto Trains. Increase in frequency of Duronto trains
61) 3 new Shattabdi Trains
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