The government today asserted that it is committed to checking the incidents of rail accidents in the country, saying number of accidents has come down by 68 per cent in comparison to the UPA rule. Replying to a discussion on the Demand for Grants of his Ministry in the Lok Sabha, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the average annual number of accidents per year was 171 during UPA rule. He emphasised that more efforts need to be taken to ensure safety.
Mr Vaishnaw said more than 87 thousand crore rupees were spent on safety in 2022–23, which reached over 98 thousand crore rupees in the last fiscal year. The Minister said, that in this year’s budget, more than one lakh eight thousand crore rupees has been allocated for safety measures. He added that the country has the necessary human resources and capabilities to roll out the automatic train protection system KAVACH on a large scale. Talking about the initiatives taken on the railways’ development, the minister said 10 thousand additional general coaches will be produced. He said the government has decided to manufacture 50 more Amrit Bharat trains. The Minister said Vande Metro will be launched soon to provide facilities for small-distance travel between two megacities. He highlighted that Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, Vande Metro, and Vande Sleeper trains will significantly enhance passenger services in the coming years. He said electrification has significantly boosted efficiency, and 44 thousand kilometres of railway lines have been electrified in 10 years.
Pointing towards the recruitment drive in Railways, the Minister informed that over five lakh recruitments have been done by the Indian Railways since 2014, while during the previous UPA regime, it was four lakh, 11 thousand. He added that an annual calendar for railway recruitment has also been started this year. During his speech, Mr Vaishnaw thanked 12 lakh railway workers who operate over 20 thousand trains every day. The Minister also countered the allegations of a lack of basic facilities for loco pilots, saying before 2014, running rooms were in very bad shape, but now almost all 558 running rooms are air-conditioned. The Minister accused Congress and the Samajwadi Party of spreading misinformation about the Ayodhya Railway station. Not satisfied with Mr Vaishnaw’s reply, the opposition created a ruckus in the House during his speech.
