"It is a pro-people budget, a simple budget, people's budget," Banerjee said.
More trains for West Bengal, Budget hotels at railway stations. More Garib Rath trains to be introduced, Measures to improve catering and on-board decoration, Special announcement for security on railways.
Amid expectations of improvement in railway amenities and food served in trains, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee would present a 'pro-people' budget in Parliament.
Business leaders and commoners in West Bengal are expecting a series of sops for the state when she presents her budget in parliament. In her two budgets earlier, Banerjee introduced a new biweekly New Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani Express, besides starting several express trains connecting various portions of West Bengal.
She might also announce changes in the Tatkal scheme to make it more passenger friendly. Among the legacies of conflict that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has inherited from her predecessor Lalu Prasad is the much-hyped budget hotels scheme - involving the construction of 100 hotels on vacant railway land in the public-private partnership mode.
Mumbai, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of country's train passengers, expects three of its major projects to be approved in the railway budget. Mamata's predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav had promised to introduce GO Mumbai card on Central and Western Railway and on BEST.
Mamata's Rail Budget HighlightsMamata Banerjee says an expert committee will be set up to advise her on implementation of the so-called economically unviable but socially desired projects.
"My priorities will include better passenger amenities, safety and security and provision of good quality food and drinking water," says Banerjee.
Railways to develop multi-functional complexes with shopping malls, food stalls, medicines and variety stores in different parts of the country.
Railway ministry has plans to develop important stations through private-public partnership. These include CST Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Howrah, Sealdah, Varanasi, New Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kanpur, Chennai Central, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Secunderabad, Bangalore City, Byappanahalli, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Habibganj, Agra Central, Chandigarh, Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Puri and Kochi.
Infotainment services to be provided in major long-distance trains, Banerjee says.
Banerjee says an expert committee will be set up to advise her on implementation of the so-called economically unviable but socially desired projects. Develop 50 stations as world class stations
Improvement of trains amenities, Railways is trying to keep up with change, Committed to the cause of the underpreviliged, India wants better rail connectivity, Book stores, PCOs to be set up across stations, Infotainment services on Rajhandi and Shatabdi trains
To take the private-public partnership route to develop stations
Priority for food and water on trains, Developing multi-functional complexes at stations, Priority to passenger amenities.
Rail projects shouldn't be gauged by economic viability but governed by social viability: says Mamata
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