Suresh Prabhu manages 39 budget hits in 36 days of new year

The Narendra Modi-government, about to complete a year in office by the end of this month, has begun to highlight the achievements of its ministries and one of the first off the block is the railways. In a statement released by the railways, the ministry claimed that 39 announcements made by railway minister Suresh Prabhu in his budget speech for the year 2015-16 have already been implemented. The ministry said it has taken only 36 days to do so.

Explaining how the feat was achieved, the statement reads "Under the implementation strategy, comprehensive action plans were formulated on all budget announcements. Prabhu and Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha have been personally monitoring the implementation and undertaking periodical review. The monitoring and periodical reviews are also being undertaken at Railway Board level, Zonal Railway level and Railway Division level. To ensure effective and efficient online monitoring, Ministry of Railway also developed a special web based software E-Samiksha to keep an eye on implementation. Ministry of Railway is next only to PMO, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Human Resource Development to have this kind of online monitoring mechanism."

Some of the big-ticket implementations:

Passenger Helpline 138 already functional. It will work as an interface for queries/complaints related to medical emergency, cleanliness, food & catering, coach maintenance, linen etc.

Security Helpline 182 already functional to report any unsavoury incidents. This service is very important public service and may play an important role in emergencies like crime against women, onboard unlawful activity, train accidents, medical attention required and fire etc.

Operation 5 minutes launched i.e. to purchase unreserved tickets within 5 minutes. It has been launched as pilot project on Chennai suburban railway where passengers can buy paperless unreserved tickets on their mobile.

E-catering has been introduced. This is a service where a passenger is able to place an order for a meal, to be served at his seat in the train enroute, through a phone call or an SMS. Presently this service is available in 134 pairs of trains.

MoU for creating a SPV signed in between Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Coal and Government of Odisha. It will help expedite Railway connectivity projects for coal transportation in Odisha.

MoU with LIC signed. It is a landmark achievement with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) providing highest ever funding of Rs. 1.5 lakh crore for Railways over 5 years.

MoU for creating a SPV signed in between Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Coal and Jharkhand government for railway connectivity projects for coal transportation in Jharkhand.