Railway Budget is practical and realistic: Naidu

Describing the Railway Budget for 2016-17 as 'practical and realistic', Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday lauded Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu's move to add bio-toilets in the trains as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign.

"The Railway Budget is practical, realistic. It's people's oriented, welfare of the passengers has been given maximum importance and I am also happy moving towards a massive provision for bio toilets also, part of the Swachh Bharat campaign," Naidu told the media outside the Parliament.

"The minister is trying to make railways better by incorporating realistic measures. In the present situation, the Indian Railways is doing a good job. With this freight corridor, with the other initiatives announced by the minister the railways will reach further heights and serve the people of India to their satisfaction," he added.

Prabhu, who presented his second budget in the Parliament today, said the Indian Railways has added over 65,000 berths via new coaches.

"17,000 bio-toilets in trains and additional toilets at 475 stations will be provided before the close of this financial year," Prabhu said.

"There is no barrier today between a common passenger and Indian Railways," he added.

Prabhu said that core objective is to become an engine of employment generation and economic growth at national level.

He announced new freight corridors Delhi-Chennai, Kharagpur-Mumbai and Kharagpur-Vijayawada.

Prabhu announced setting up a Rail university at Vadodara. He announced to take up on priority the provision of passenger amenities and beautification on stations at pilgrimage centres including Ajmer, Dwarka, Gaya, Puri, Varanasi and Parasnath.