Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024: Parliament on Monday (March 10) passed a Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 aimed at streamlining and modernizing railway operations in India. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote on Monday, after having been passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year.
The Bill seeks to repeal the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905 by suitably incorporating the provisions for the constitution and composition of the Railway Board into the Railways Act, 1989.
Ashwini Vaishnaw on Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024
Replying to the discussion on the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 in the Rajya Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the bill's role in empowering field offices, enhancing efficiency, and reinforcing cooperative federalism. He said the bill is designed to simplify existing laws and does not diminish the powers of state governments. Instead, it promotes decentralization by granting full authority to general managers in railway zones to approve projects up to Rs 1,000 crore.
Vaishnaw further said that the government is giving top-most priority to safety in railways, having committed an outlay of over Rs 1 lakh crore per year for upgrading various mechanisms. The minister said that due to various interventions, the annual railway accident rate has come down to 30 from 171 incidents earlier.
Key objectives and impact on Indian Railways
- The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 aim to amend the Railways Act, 1989, to provide statutory backing to the Railway Board, which has functioned without such sanction since it began functioning.
- With the inclusion of the Railway Board under the 1989 Railway Act, the appointment, qualifications, tenure and criteria for the Chairman and members of the Board will be the responsibility of the central government.
- The Bill also provides for the establishment of an independent regulator to oversee key issues such as fare determination, infrastructure access, and service standards, with the aim of protecting stakeholder interests and fostering competition in the railway sector. The idea of such a regulator was first proposed in 2015 by the Committee on Restructuring Railways.
- The Bill also aims to enhance operational efficiency by decentralising powers and granting greater autonomy to Railway Zones. This move aligns with long-standing demands and recommendations from various panels, including the 2014 Sreedharan Committee. Under the proposed changes, Railway Zones would gain more control over financial and operational decisions, including budget management, infrastructure development, and recruitment.
- The amendment is expected to speed up the approval process for train services that will help meet pending demands from various regions.
- The Bill will also allow the government to fast-track infrastructure development and the operation of superfast trains. For instance, it could facilitate the extension of services like the Arunachal Express via the Siwan–Thawe–Kaptanganj–Gorakhpur route, offering significant benefits to underserved regions, particularly in states like Bihar.
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