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Thursday,
February 27, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Populist
Budget stumps Oppn Best
Budget in 50 years, says BJP 5 pc hike
in tonnage expected 2,310 cr
for railway safety
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Sops to
elderly, cancer patients
Shatabdi
to cost less for scribes Jammu-Udhampur
rail link by March, 2004 5 of
Dalit family gunned down NORTH INDIA IN
PARLIAMENT Ayodhya
debate in LS today
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Populist Budget stumps Oppn New Delhi, February 26 The Congress described the Budget as nothing inspiring. “It is a soft election Budget with nothing inspiring. It will not help in expanding the Railways and making it more efficient,” senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil said. Congress’ chief spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy described it as a “status-quoist Budget” without any initiative to improve the finances or the functioning of the Railways. “His (Mr Kumar’s) Budget graphically exposes the increasing bankruptcy and decreasing revenues of the Railways,” he said, adding that although Mr Nitish Kumar was seeking bouquets for not increasing the rail fare, he could not be complimented for not making enough effort to increase internal resource generation. “The Budget conclusively shows that Mr Nitish Kumar has confused cowardice with populism,” he
added. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav described the Budget as “sweet and sour”, saying that though certain schemes had been announced for safety and security there was no mention regarding the laying of new railway lines. Former Railway Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas
Paswan, said there was nothing striking in the Budget and added that neglect of rural areas was disappointing. While welcoming the decision not to hike the passenger and freight fares, CPM leader V. Radhakrishnan said the Budget was “highly discriminating” as the Railway Minister has not paid heed to regional demands. Echoing similar views, MPs of Bihar, Raghuvans Prasad Singh,
RJD, and Subodh Roy (CPM), described it as a “betrayal” of people’s
aspirations. BSP leader Rashid Alvi said though it was a good Budget, yet more attention should have been paid to the security aspect, especially in view of large number of accidents. Mr
P.H. Pandian of the AIADMK said the government had not cleared any new project for Tamil Nadu despite demands. |
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Best Budget in 50 years, says BJP New Delhi, February 26 “The Budget is the best in the last 50 years as never before so many concessions have been offered,” BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman
V.K. Malhotra told mediapersons. Criticising the Opposition for always finding fault with any “good measures” of the government, Mr Malhotra said “when concessions are offered, the Opposition seeks to run it down. They should be appreciating the Budget rather than just calling it populist.” |
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Common
man-friendly Budget: PM New Delhi, February 26 “Before the Budget there were apprehensions that passenger fares and freight rates would be hiked which would hit the common man. But all these fears have been dispelled,” Mr Vajpayee told reporters. He said the Budget proposals would bolster the economy and help in taking forward the process of economic reforms.
PTI |
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5 pc hike in tonnage expected New Delhi, February 26 The revenue from movement of freight during 2003-04 was estimated to be Rs 27,815
crore. As per the Railway Budget for 2003-04 presented by Railways Minister Nitish Kumar in the Lok Sabha today, earnings of the sector from freight traffic was expected to increase by 4.3 per cent over the previous fiscal year’s Rs 26,658
crore. An increase in earnings from freight traffic was expected to come from a higher tonnage of coal even though the ministry had projected a lower tonnage of petroleum, oil and lubricants
(POL) to 33 million tonnes from 34.50 million tonnes during 2002-03. Earnings from transport of POL were expected to decline to Rs 2,436 crore from Rs 2,677.93 crore during the fiscal 2002-03. Tonnage of coal was, however, expected to increase to 242 million tonnes from 235 million tonnes in 2002-03, with earnings accordingly increasing to Rs 11,840 crore from Rs 11,440 crore in the current fiscal year. Freight tonnage of all other segments was expected to increase marginally, including those of food grains, cement, fertilisers, iron ore and coal. The freight reclassification exercise would lower freight rates of petroleum by 10.7 per cent, while for diesel it would be less by 7.7 per cent. Some of the liquid commodities, carried in tank wagons, namely molasses, bitumen, refined vegetable oil and sulphuric acid were also proposed to be charged two stages than their existing classes. The proposed reduction in freight rates due to lowering of reclassification by two stages would range from 5.3 per cent to 9.5 per cent. The classification of cement, clinker, manganese ore and caustic soda liquid was proposed to be reduced by one stage, which would reduce the freight rates by around 3.7 per cent. |
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2,310 cr for railway safety New Delhi, February 26 In the current year, the total net allocation for SRSF was stepped up to Rs 2,210 crore as per the Budget estimates, which included Rs 1,350 crore as contribution from general exchequer and Rs 860 crore from the safety surcharge. This has been further increased by Rs 100 crore in the revised estimates to “keep up the pace of progress of safety works under
SRSF”. The railways is contributing this additional amount and the current year’s shortfall of about Rs 200 crore in surcharge collection from its own revenues, the Railway Minister Mr Nitish Kumar said. During 2001-02, the actual expenditure under the SRSF stood at Rs 1,434 crore ( net) as against the allotment of Rs 1,400
crore. The safety surcharge fell short of the targeted collection by Rs 95
crore. The additional amount of Rs 129 crore required on both these counts was made available through normal revenues of the Railways. |
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Sops to elderly, cancer patients New Delhi, February 26 Cancer and thalassemia major patients and heart patients travelling for the purpose of surgery, alone or accompanied by an attendant, are at present entitled to a concession of 75 per cent in first class and second class. Now this concession has been extended to them to travel in AC 3-tier and AC chair car. They will get 50 per cent concession in AC first class and AC 2-tier of mail/express. Kidney patients undertaking train journey for the treatment would also be granted similar concessions, the minister said. Senior citizens are being granted 30 per cent concession in all classes in all trains. Hitherto the concession was available for men of 65 years of age and above and women of 60 years of age and above. Now both will be entitled for the senior citizen concession on attaining the age of 60 and above. And to keep mediapersons happy, when the Assembly and general elections are due in the 12 to 18 months, the minister announced that all accredited press correspondents are currently entitled to 50 per cent concessions in all classes of mail/express trains. Now they have been given 30 per cent concession in Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains also. |
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Shatabdi to cost less for scribes
New Delhi, February 26 Currently such correspondents are entitled 50 per cent concession for travel upto 30,000 km per year in all classes of Mail/Express trains barring the Shatabdi and the Rajdhani if they are residing within 25 km from the concerned capital city or the district headquarters. Besides removing the kilometre limit on the concessional travel, the distance restriction for their place of residence has also been removed, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar told the Lok Sabha. Accredited press correspondents would now be granted 30 per cent concession in the Rajdhani and the Shatabdi express trains besides the current 50 per cent concession in all classes of the Mail and Express trains.
PTI |
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Jammu-Udhampur rail link by
March, 2004 New Delhi, February 26 Presenting the Railway Budget for 2003-04, he also said the link up to Katra was likely to be completed during 2004-05.
PTI |
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5 of Dalit family gunned down Patna, February 26 Superintendent of Police, Sanjay Singh, while confirming the incident, said, “Prima facie the killings seem to be a result of land dispute”. The killers have not so far been identified but it is suspected that they might be the extremists as the area abounds in them. The villagers said the armed killers raided the village at around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday, picked up one Ram Kewal Mahto and attempted to take him away. As the victim raised an alarm, three women members of the family and one male member, Chhotan Mahto, came out for help. The killers gunned down all of them taking them outside the village.” |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, February 26 While the number of mobile phone subscribers in Haryana is 1,95,374, it is 44,872 in Himachal Pradesh. In Punjab, Spice Communications has 4,36,255 subscribers, whereas Bharti Mobile Limited has 1,31,724 subscribers and the BSNL has 58,780 subscribers as on January 1, 2003, the minister informed the House. * * * Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports told the House that five Youth Development Centres had been set up in Punjab. He told the House that so far, the number of centres set up in Haryana was 39, in Himachal Pradesh it was 45 and 11 in Jammu and Kashmir. No such centre had been set up so far in Chandigarh, the minister informed the Lok Sabha. * * * Ms Sumitra Mahajan, Minister of State for Communications and IT told the House that there were 39,548 public telephone booths functioning in Punjab at the end of December 2002, whereas 2,941 booths were closed during the past three years on account of reasons like non-payment of bills, misuse by franchisees and subscriber request. The number of public telephone booths was 24,093 in Haryana, 7,635 in Himachal Pradesh and 11,362 in Jammu and Kashmir whereas the number of booths which were closed during the past three years was 1,146 in Haryana, 139 in Himachal Pradesh and 23 in Jammu and Kashmir. * * * Mr U.V. Krishnam Raju, Minister of State for Rural Development informed the Rajya Sabha that the amount of funds released for the construction of roads in rural areas during 2001-02 was Rs 55 crore to Punjab, Rs 30 crore to Haryana. |
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Ayodhya
debate in LS today New Delhi, February 26 Mr Vajpayee will give his reply in Rajya Sabha on March 4 instead of tomorrow as scheduled earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters here today. |
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