The Hindu Business Line : A Budget true to form

Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav's maiden Railway Budget, presented to Parliament on Tuesday, maintained the familiar refrain much the same way as his predecessors in politically fractured regimes, to which the country has become accustomed over the last 15 years. Sans any long-term strategy or long-range vision, the rail mantri revelled in a catalogue of new trains, new projects, a new deal for SC/ST - Dalits and the so-called organised sections indirectly associated with rail services. Mercifully, freight and fare charges have not been touched. Any escalation in freight rates would tantamount to a downright harakiri of the system.

A huge gulf persists between the chieftains who preside over the coveted Rail Ministry and the crying need of the organisation. Mr Yadav could have risen above the circumstances and claimed a place among the rare for good governance. But the temptation for unabashed populism, to win instant approbation, has been too irresistible. The diligence and interest in grasping the nuances of the complex organisation has not been considered worth its while.

The Indian Railway's (IR) focus shifts with every change in government, every change of the incumbent, the epicentre of the universe becomes a Malda, a Bangalore, a Pune, a Hajipur, a Chhapra/Jamalpur/Patna. Chhapra has qualified to have a new wheel and axle plant as Jamalpur is poised to witness new wagon manufacturing prowess. A number of new passenger services in Tamil Nadu signify the new political realities. All states are equal; some are more equal than the others.

Safety on the IR's sprawling system is not left only to God Vishwakarma; it has engaged the Minister to announce a few measures: technical, technological and manual. Security has likewise gained attention. The measures spell a peculiar paradox; whereas very substantial overstaffing on the system has been acknowledged by many an expert, the Minister proposes to recruit thousands of the unemployed for manning level crossings and reinforcing the RPF ranks. The UPA manifesto and the CMP testament come in handy as much as an opportunity it affords to swell the ranks of the faithful.

The IR as an essential infrastructural bulwark for India's economic growth would deserve a long-term strategic perspective to be delineated, a roadmap for the organisation to traverse in years to come. The challenges that are ahead are onerous. The rail mantri referred to the challenges and problems that the IR faces, also of the scarcity of resources for the development and expansion of the system; he also talked of strengthening the revenue streams and harnessing resources for its plans and programmes. But there is no inkling, no intent, no will expressed in specific terms for reducing expenses and building up businesses. Concessions for rail travel have been further extended, for instance, for the widows of those who die in encounters against terrorists and the job seekers who travel for interview. The `common man' has indeed become a common convenience to win brownie points.

There is no indication given of any attempt to rationalise and reassess the IR's own infrastructural apparatus such as workshops, sheds, depots, stations, yards, besides stores purchases and procurement procedures. There is no attempt made to apprise the Members of Parliament of non-remunerative services and sections. There is no proposal to consider spinning off any non-core activity. Instead, wagon manufacture is proposed to be augmented in the IR's workshops and, scrap to be recycled by the IR itself.

Contract for bookstalls at stations will have yet another reservation system, for SC/ST aspirants, Dalits and widows, licensed porters and other similar unorganised body of people will have a social security cover. Some further sops are doled out for recruitment of SC and ST sections. The IR is well on its way to serve essentially as a social welfare department and, incidentally, as a rail transport system.

Living true to his studied image of a new messiah imbued with Gandhian precepts, the emphasis on khullar and khadi could not be missing from Mr Yadav's maiden attempt in Parliament.

The author is a former MD of Concor