Govt Of India: Indian Railways Will Never Be Sold To Private Firms; But Private Funds Are Needed

On Tuesday,  Railway Minister Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha that Indian Railways will never be privatized but private investments are required for efficient functioning.

Government’s Privatisation Plans

The argument was presented during a debate on the Demands for Grants for Railways for 2021-22.

After the Lower House debated it over two days, the motion to provide grants was passed by a voice vote.

Further, Mr. Goyal mentioned that there has not been a single death of any passenger in rail accidents in the past two years.

As Indian Rail has been focused on improving passenger safety.

The opposition members, Congress’ Jasbir Singh Gill and IUML’s ET Mohammed Basheer had questioned the government over its privatization and corporatization plans on Monday.

“I assure you that the Railways is India’s property and it will never be privatized. 

It is a property of every Indian and will remain so,” said Mr. Goyal during the discussion.

Moreover, he mentioned that the investment from the private sector can be utilized to leverage the infrastructure to provide better amenities to passengers and create more employment opportunities.

While talking about its plans, he said that the 5,500 km track is going to be privatized this year.

Next, he spelled out the government’s target of complete electrification by December 2023.

Increase In Investments

The Narendra Modi government has increased the investment to 2.15 lakh crore in 2021-22 fiscal from Rs 1.5 lakh crore last fiscal year said Mr. Goyal while talking about the goals.

Mr. Goyal said that the government is working towards making the Railways an “engine of growth,”.

Apart from this, they also sought the cooperation of the State governments for land acquisition for faster implementation of projects.

“If Maharashtra gives support and makes land available in Bandra Kurla for the terminal then high-speed bullet trains using Japanese technology will come into India. Today 95% of the land has been acquired in Gujarat and land has also been acquired in Daman and Diu. However, in Maharashtra, we have acquired 24%. If we can acquire land in Maharashtra, then we can implement the project at a faster pace,” he said.