Railways Target Rs 10,000cr Plan Outlay For 97-98

As for the ninth plan size, railways have asked for an outlay of Rs 60,000 to 65,000 crore, against the eighth plan outlay of Rs 27,202 crore at 1991-92 prices.

The budgetary support during the eighth plan period was only Rs 5,375 crore which works out to 19.8 per cent of the plan size. Railways have asked for an increase to the extent of 30 per cent of the plan size for the ninth plan. The matter has been taken up with the Planning Commission.

Railways have also taken up with the government the issue of the waiver of the capital-at-charge as has been suggested by the railway convention committee.

The proposal is currently under the consideration of the government.

Railway minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who made a fervent plea for this waiver, held that while the budgetary support has been dwindling, the dividend payment burden has been going up. The waiver of the capital-at-charge (the accumulated build-up of the principal amount of the budgetary support) will considerably reduce the dividend liability and provide considerable financial relief to the resource-strapped railways.

Paswan said the government has agreed to provide Rs 5,000 crore for funding of some major railway projects as part of the government social obligations to backward regions.

The implementation time is five years. The projects include Udhampur-Baramulla and Agartala-Kumardhubi rail links and Bogibeed bridge project.