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Laloo Exp gets poor on board
Laloo, in his first rly budget, mooted no hike in passenger and freight rates. Pics| Highlights | In Hindi
Laloo Prasad Yadav presented his first railway budget on Tuesday keeping the poor firmly in focus. The UPA's first major policy initiative was of a piece with its common minimum programme and indicated the direction in which the new government is likely to proceed.
Yadav did not hike either passenger fares or freight charges and presented a slew of pro-people measures.
The budget promised implementation of job quotas for weaker sections and employment-generation in enterprises connected to the railways. Twenty-five per cent of bookstalls in railway stations will be reserved for weaker sections, war widows, minorities and the handicapped.
Yadav also gave a free travel facility to unemployed people who were going for interviews to government jobs.
Social security was also high on the agenda. Yadav promised to extend the scope of a pilot scheme, on trial in 50 districts, which provides health insurance, personal accident insurance and an old-age pension of Rs 500 to porters, vendors, hawkers, and people employed in kiosks and construction activity.
For self-employed porters, a grant to the Unorganised Workers' Social Security Fund was on the cards. Workers in the unorganised sector were also promised contracts.
The privilege pass now available to porters for free travel between the station nearest to their workplace and a select destination once a year will now also be given to their spouses.
Attendants of deaf and dumb passengers will get a 50 per cent discount in the first, second and sleeper classes. Haemophiliacs and their escorts will get a 75 per cent discount on all classes. Widows of army jawans who died fighting terror will get the same concession for the second and sleeper classes.
Another major initiative is the ‘Village on Wheels’ — trains comprising sleeper coaches for budget tourists travelling to religious and historical destinations.
Besides, Yadav has boosted the pottery and dairy sectors by mandating the use of kulhars and proposing that lassi be served to passengers. Khadi has been declared to be the railways' official fabric, giving a fillip to that sector.
The unreserved ticketing system will now be extended to all zones. This means that passengers will be able to buy tickets for unreserved travel three days in advance. As of now, such tickets have to be bought on the day of the journey. The proposal will affect 92 per cent of passengers.
Yadav has also promised to reform the refund procedure within a year. When the proposal goes through, passengers will be able to claim refunds on unused tickets up to five days after the date of travel.
