NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Piyush Goyal is presenting the NDA government's last Budget. Coming just a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Interim Budget is likely to focus majorly in the Agriculture, banking, real estate sectors and the Railways. Rs 64,587 crore allocated for Railways. Overall capital investment also is a historic Rs 1,58,658 crore for the 2019-2020. Vande Bharat Express will provide speed, service and safety to citizens and will give a boost to Make In India.

Vande Bharat Express was pitched by Union Finance and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal as the indigenous technology leap that will ensure speed, service and safety in rail travel. As part of his Railway Budget 2019 speech, Piyush Goyal said that Vande Bharat Express is a ‘Make in India’ initiative that will help create more jobs as more suhc train sets are manufactured for service across the Indian Railways network. Piyush Goyal also announced that the operating ratio for the current fiscal year has improved to 96.2% and in the next financial year the aim will be to have it at 95%. He announced an outlay of Rs 64,587 crore for Indian Railways.

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Piyush Goyal announced in his Railway Budget 2019 speech that this has been the safest year for Indian Railways. Highlighting Modi government’s big achievement, Piyush Goyal said that his ministry has eliminated all unmanned level crossings on the broad guage network. This feat was achieved on January 31, 2019, when the last unmanned level crossing was removed. No railway fare hike was announced in Railway Budget 2019, given the fact this is the year of Lok Sabha elections 2019. Doing away with the colonial ear practise of having a separate Railway Budget, Modi government merged the document with the main Union Budget from 2017 onwards. Yet, Indian Railways being the national transporter, finds a special mention in the Budget speech and this year will be no different.

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