Passengers walk on platforms at a railway station in Mumbai on Tuesday. — Reuters photo

Editorial: Politician’s Budget GRAPHICS: Railway Budget at a Glance Railway Budget — Key figures Traffic Receipts of Indian Railways FICCI expresses happiness on Railway Budget. (28k, 56k)

15 new express trains planned
New Delhi, July 6
Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav today proposed 15 additional express trains to be introduced apart from the 17 Sampark Kranti Express trains announced by his predecessor Nitish Kumar in the Interim Budget.

Chandigarh-Ludhiana line to be completed
Sops for widows of defence personnel
Nation page: Railway Minister keeps LS in good humour
Business: Industry’s thumbs-up for Laloo’s Rail Budget
Chandigarh page: Rail Budget evokes mixed reaction

Railway Budget is pro-poor, says Laloo
Oppn calls it lacklustre
New Delhi, July 6
Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav said today that his maiden budget was aimed at making the Railways self-sufficient without imposing any additional burden on the common man but the Opposition described the Budget as “anti-development.”

NDA not to stall Parliament
New Delhi, July 6
The BJP-led NDA, which had boycotted the Railway Budget today, has decided to give up its strategy of stalling Parliamentary proceedings on the issue of “tainted” ministers with effect from tomorrow and decided to focus its protest mainly against “one representative tainted minister, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, in an appropriate manner.”

Violence marks bandh against school fire
Srinagar, July 6
Stray incidents of stone pelting and the setting ablaze of a bus by demonstrators marked the general strike here today called against the burning down of Islamia High School.
In video (28k, 56k)
The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieut-Gen (retd) S. K. Sinha, inspects the gutted building of Islamia School in downtown Srinagar on Tuesday. — Photo by Amin War

Farming no more viable for marginal farmer Sangrur, July 6 Agriculture no longer seems to be an economically viable venture for a marginal farmer. Sangrur’s 24 lakh tonnes of paddy yield in one season matches the paddy production of entire Haryana. And at 12.5 lakh tonnes, is the highest wheat producing district in India.