New Delhi: In the span of 2017-18 to 2021-22, the Central government allocated an impressive Rs.1.08 trillion towards the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), focusing on rail safety-related initiatives.

Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, "RRSK was established during 2017-18 with a corpus of Rs.1 trillion, aimed at executing crucial safety projects over a period of five years. The projects covered under this fund encompass track renewal, bridges, signaling, rolling stock, as well as training and amenities for safety-critical personnel. Financing for RRSK projects is sourced from the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) and Railways revenues, including mobilization of resources through Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR), following the Ministry of Finance's guidelines on RRSK."

Minister Vaishnaw further highlighted that the Railway Safety Fund (RSF) had its inception in 2001-02, initially targeted at funding works related to level crossings, road over bridges, and road under bridges. However, its scope has since expanded to include capital expenditure on other safety projects as well.

Over the past five years, both the RRSK and the RSF have been instrumental in financing crucial safety-related works.

"Apart from the capital expenditure from the Gross Budgetary Support, DRF, and DF, there has been significant spending on safety-related projects. The cumulative expenditure from FY 2014-15 to FY 2022-23, along with the Budget Estimate for FY 2023-24, amounts to Rs.1.78 lakh crore on safety-related plan heads. This amount is approximately 2.5 times higher than the expenditure incurred on safety-related plan heads from FY 2004-05 to FY 2013-14 (Rs.70,274 crore)," he explained.

Minister Vaishnaw also highlighted additional initiatives undertaken, such as providing laptops and computers for the safety-related track management system application, along with the training of safety personnel.

Regarding the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of 2022 on "Derailment in Indian Railways," which observed that certain expenditures booked to RRSK were allocated to non-priority items, the minister clarified, "Railways has addressed the audit observation in the Action Taken Note, asserting that these expenditures are justified by policy letters and technical reports of CAMTECH on Running Room Facilities. Accordingly, the necessary expenses for equipment and gear for safety-critical personnel have been allocated to RRSK in some Railways," Vaishnaw added.

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