Staff Reporter / NEW DELHI
The government has reiterated that the Railways will not be privatized. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said, Railways is the property of the country and it will always remain so.
Participating in discussion on demands for grants of the Ministry of Railways for 2021-22, Mr. Goyal said, two lakh 15 thousand crore rupees have been allocated for Railways in 2021-22 Budget.
Stating that Indian Railways has become the growth engine of the country, Mr. Goyal said that if private players are investing in Railways, it should be welcomed in the country’s interest. He said, private sector will bring with them efficiency and will also give momentum to the wheels of the economy.
The Minister said, when the country celebrates 75 years of Independence in 2022, both Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors will become operational.
Mr. Goyal said, had the Prime Minister not have announced a timely lockdown when the outbreak of Covid-19 was reported, the virus would have spread to six lakh villages in the country. Anticipating a situation of overwhelming of hospitals with Covid patients, an appropriate decision was taken by his ministry to convert 560 coaches into isolation wards the Minister said.
Highlighting the works done by the Ministry to provide convenient travel to passengers, he said, Railways is planning to start 44 Vande Bharat trains across the country. The Minister said that Railways is focusing on the safety of the passengers and asserted that no passenger was killed due to rail accidents in the last two years.