M A I N   N E W S

PM gives thumbs up to Budget
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 8
The first Railway Budget of the NDA government today got thumbs up from the Prime Minister, who, while calling the Railways an engine of development, said that it had its focus on transparency and passenger safety.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Rs 1,49,176-crore Budget presented in the Lok Sabha focused on “transparency and integrity” as well as the safety needs of commuters, besides strengthening the institutional mechanism.

He hailed the Budget presented by Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda as “futuristic and growth-oriented” and pointed out that it was for the common people as it aspired for better service, speed and safety with focus on development of the country.

“The Budget keeps in mind the development of India. We can see the great use of technology also,” he said.

“Congratulations to the Railway Minister for presenting a futuristic & growth oriented budget. It is a budget for the common people,” Modi tweeted.

“This Budget shows where we want to take the Railways and at the same time where we want to take India through it,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the Budget strengthened institutionalised mechanism in the Indian Railway network, which carried 23 million passengers every day. “The country should have paid more attention to Railways after Independence. But, better late than never,” he said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the Budget was realistic and comprehensive as honest analysis had been made about the state of affairs and health of Indian Railways.

“The way forward has been clearly outlined in the Budget. Safety, security and service...All these three aspects have been taken care of and the Railway Minister has also made a realistic assessment about the need to complete the ongoing projects,” Naidu told reporters outside Parliament. “Instead of going populist and becoming unrealistic and creating hardships for the people in the long run, the Railway Minister has made efforts to see that the safety, security and service aspects are given high priority and also completion of ongoing projects have been taken on a priority,” Naidu said.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Budget aimed at improving financial condition of the Railways.