Railway Budget 2016: Live Updates
Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu is unveiling the Railway Budget 2016. There are great expectations surrounding this years Rail Budget, especially on safety, cleanliness and upgradation.
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1:10 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned until 2:15 pm.
1:10 pm: Suresh Prabhu concludes his speech.
1:08: pm: To introduce National Rail Plan to harmonise network & set up a new R&D organisation.
1:05 pm: Looking at e-commerce models for door-to-door delivery of goods.
1:05: pm: Railways plans to set aside Rs 50 crore for providing innovation grants to start-ups.
1:00 pm: National Rail Plan in consultation with states & stake holders, to urbanize rail network with other modes of transport.
1:00 pm: Key customer managers to liaison with major freight stakeholder.
12:56 pm: Gangmen to carry wireless instrument #Rakshak that will notify them about approaching trains
12:55 pm: Railways looking at monetizing assets. Measures to earn advertising revenue.
12:55 pm: Aastha circuit to connect pilgrim centres.
12:50 pm: Launch of new service: Antyodaya Express: Unreserved, second class, superfast trains.
12:50 pm: 3 elevated corridors to be made in Mumbai.
12:48 pm: Local cuisines of choice will be made available to the passengers.
12:45 pm: Work underway to introduce 20,000 screen rail display network for passing info to passengers.
12:44 pm: Multi-purpose stalls at station to provide milk and medicines.
12:42 pm: e-booking on concession passes for journalists to be introduced.
12:40 pm: CCTV Coverage Of All Tatkal Counters. Travel insurance for Railway journeys.
12:38 pm: 65000 new berths added by augumenting coaches. E-ticket facility for foreign debit and credit cards to be available.
12: 36 pm: "We will also introduce overnight double-decker trains on the busiest roots." Prabhu.
12:35 pm: Google tie-up to ensure wifi at 400 stations.
12:32 pm: By 2020 95% of trains shall be running on time: Prabhu
12:29 pm: "We will introduce WiFi services at 100 stations this year, 400 more stations over next two years: Suresh Prabhu.
12: 28 pm: 1,780 automatic ticket vending machines to be installed. 2,500 water vending machines at railway stations have been provided: Suresh Prabhu
12:26 pm: 17000 bio toilets and add'l toilets in 475 stations before close of this FY: Prabhu.
12:25 pm: More than 1 lakh telephone calls are made everyday to seek inputs from passengers.
12:22 pm: FY 2016-17 passenger revenue target seen at Rs 51000 crores, up 12.4 per cent.
12:20 pm: Two new locomotive factories will boost Make in India initiative, Rail Minister.
12: 17 pm: LIC has agreed to fund Rs 1.5 lakh cr over next 5 years on favourable terms.
12:16 pm: I wish to overhaul age-old practices in procurement of equipment, says Rail Minister. Expect revenue growth of 10.1% in FY17.
12:11 pm: Capital expenditure plans placed at Rs 1.21 lakh crores in 2016-17.
12:07 pm: A saving of 8,720 crore rupees for budget estimates of last year will be effected this year.
12:05 pm: Rail Minister says operating ratio of 92% expected.
12: Noon: Railway minister begins his speech.
11:55 am - Nifty dips below 7000 points ahead of Railway Budget. Drops 19 points.
11:35 am - Railway Minister arrives in Parliament.
11:13 am - Parliament session begins peacefully in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
10:43 am - Keenly observed would be the deficits that the Railway Budget may face and the allocation from the Centre.
10:27 am - Stock Markets are lower ahead of the Rail Budget. Sensex has dipped 25 points.
10:15 am - Railway Budget documents arrive in parliament.
10:12 am - Rail stocks are trading lower with Kalindee Rail, Kernex and Texmaco trading lower.
10: 10: am - The Railway Budget may not have much leeway in pushing through passenger fare hikes.