New Delhi: Indian Railways' annual Budget plan outlays a plan of nearly Rs 10,000 crore.
Given the huge amount, the Railways has been allotted a distinct budget, separte from the Annual Budget. And India is the only country in the world to follow the practice.
It is presented separately to Parliament and is also dealt with separately.
The Railway Budget is declared ahead of the Annual Budget that is rolled out on February 28 every year.
However, the receipts and expenditure of the Railways form part of the Consolidated Fund of India and the related figures are included in the 'Annual Financial Statement' released during the Annual Budget.
All expenditures of the Indian Railways, both on capital and revenue accounts is voted upon by Parliament.
These funds are distributed by the Railway Board to zonal railways and production units, under various heads.
If there are more of these units or zones, the available funds will get distributed to a larger number of units, each getting proportionately lesser amount.
The cake, in short, has to be shared. More Railway zones do not mean more resources being made available for development work.
Over the years the Ministry has evolved rigorous machinery for consultation with members of Parliament (MPs), on a scale, which is perhaps not matched by any other Ministry.
Comments
0 comment