Draft of White Paper on railways to be ready by Nov 18

Railways has asked its officials concerned to submit by November 18 the first draft of the White Paper on the strategic planning and present status of the national carrier.
Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar today held a meeting with all board members to expedite preparation of the report, said a senior Railway Ministry official, adding that "concerned Executive Directors (ED) have been assigned to complete the work on time".
Railways has assigned the job to 22 Executive Directors from various departments like Planning, Traffic, Mechanical, Land and Amenities, Budget, Project Monitoring and Signal Development.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has sought a White Paper on the prevailing condition of the Railways with details in bringing out challenges in the field of safety, financial status and customer satisfaction. The minister is likely to submit the White Paper before Parliament.

The last White Paper on Indian Railways was prepared during Mamata Banerjee's regime in December 2009. The EDs have been asked to refer to the 2009 White Paper for finalising the draft.