[Marxistindia] On merger of railway budget

news from the cpi(m) marxistindia at cpim.org
Thu Sep 22 12:11:02 IST 2016


September 22, 2016

 

Press Statement

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:

 

On Merger of Railway Budget

 

The decision by the Union Cabinet to merge the Railway Budget with the
General Budget is a unilateral step without discussion in parliament. It was
parliament which was empowered to discuss railway finances and development.

 

The abolition of a separate railway budget is not what it is purported to
be. It is a measure towards commercialization and privatization of the
Indian Railways.

 

The Indian Railways is the largest public transportation system in the
country which caters to the millions of ordinary people. This public service
carrier cannot be seen purely on commercial lines.

 

The railway budget being presented in parliament provided the opportunity
for parliamentary scrutiny and approval of its finances, expenditure and a
debate on its plans for expansion. This will now be curtailed with its
abolition.

 

The move to merge the Railway Budget and Union Budget is in tune with the
recommendations of the Bibek Debroye Committee which has set out a blueprint
for the commercialization and privatization of the Indian Railways.

 

For the people what this portends is a steep rise in railway fares and a
growing divide towards elite services and poor facilities for the ordinary
passengers. 

 

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