This Rail Budget has not given any relief to 13 lakh employees, who work 24 hours, 365 days in all weathers, facing arduous conditions, even sacrificing their lives, said Shiva Gopal Mishra,  General Secretary, All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), the largest union of rail employees.

Reacting to the Modi Government’s thrust on privatisation, FDI and PPPs, Mishra said employees will not “tolerate any form of privatisation in the Railways.’ 

“Who will benefit from privatisaton measures, such as wi-fi facility, food courts, ready-to-eat packs, mobile wake-up calls, laundry machines for AC coaches etc? It is only the upper class passengers. So, this Budget has nothing for common passengers or lakhs of dedicated employees and is disappointing,” he told Business Line. 

Also, announcements have been made about the introduction of new trains, but without developing infrastructure and adding manpower. “This will endanger railway safety,” he said. 

Pro-corporate policy  

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) also expressed serious concern over the BJP Government's first Railway Budget as “nothing but continuity of the same pro-corporate policy of the much discredited Congress regime, rather in more aggressive form.” 

CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen said in a statement that the budgetary announcement of linking the future prices of travel with fuel adjustment factor will result in “virtual deregulation” of rail fares providing for automatic hike in fares with the increase in price of fuel, adding to the burden of the common man.

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