Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday ruled out privatisation of Railways while asking trade unions to stop worrying about foreign investments coming in the sector, saying these will be used for greater development of the national transporter.

“There is a misunderstanding that Railways is being privatised. However, I want to make it clear that we are not privatising Railways. We cannot go in this direction. You don’t have to worry. It is neither our wish nor thinking,” he said.

Modi was in Varanasi to mark Good Governance Day, on BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday.

The Prime Minister was obviously seeking to dispel apprehensions among railway unions over the issue. The unions had even planned to hold protest against the proposal to invite FDI in railways.

Anticipating protests against the Centre over several issues, police detained more than 23 people from different areas as they were planning to stage demonstrations during Modi’s visit here.

Five members of the Railways employee union, who were planning to protest against the government’s decision to allow 100 per cent FDI in their sector, have been detained as a precautionary measure.

Dollars or pounds “I want to ask the union leaders how it is worrying if funds come in pounds or dollars,” he said and asked railwaymen whether they welcome it or not and whether it should be done or not.

Asserting that he would not want Railways to be merely a means of transport, he said he wants to make it the engine of growth in the country.

The UN decision to declare June 21 as World Yoga Day is proof that India’s voice is now being heard, Modi said.

Speaking at the Banaras Hindu University here, Modi also asked Indians to grab the global opportunities coming their way and said that he wished to see India exporting good teachers to other countries.

Hoping that India becomes a ‘Vishwa Guru’ one day, the PM said he had requested the UN in September to declare a World Yoga Day. “Within 100 days, 177 countries became co-sponsors to this proposal which itself is a world record,” he said to thunderous applause.

Asking theatre and social groups to encourage people to be clean and spread awareness about issues like hunger and female foeticide, Modi said he felt ashamed to hear about children going hungry in a country like India where even stray animals are fed.

He urged schools in Varanasi to spread knowledge on the holy Hindu town’s rich culture and eminent personalities like Kabir and Tulsidas as well as its famous ghats along the Ganga.

Earlier, at a function at Swatantra Bhawan in the BHU campus, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said several of the initiatives undertaken on the education front were Modi’s brainchild.

Later, Modi laid the foundation stone of a ₹110-crore Inter-University Centre for Teacher Education, launched the Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching and wifi connectivity of the entire BHU campus. “There is a dearth of good teachers. Even if you ask rich people who have crores of rupees, what they want, they will say they need good teachers,” he said.

Swachh Bharat campaign Taking forward his Swachh Bharat campaign, Modi lauded people for helping rid the Assi Ghat of mounds of soil and garbage to restore the historical site to its old glory.

“People, social organisations, municipal coporation and state government have played an important role and we are seeing today that the ghat, which was full of soil, is now back to its old beauty along side Mother Ganga,” he said in a brief address.

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