(a) whether the Railways has allocated USD 142 billion to be spent over the next five years for development of railway infrastructure;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Railways has received any contributions from international agencies such as the World Bank (WB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) towards the Railway Development Fund;
(d) if so, the details thereof;
(e) whether the Railways would consider establishing smaller RDFs for specific zones and their various needs including the Southern Railway Zone; and
(f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? |
ANSWER |
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)
(a) & (b): An investment plan for ? 8,56,020 crore over five years was announced in Railway Budget Speech 2015-16 to augment infrastructure capacity and modernisation which includes network decongestion and expansion (including electrification), National projects, Safety, Information Technology & Research, Rolling Stocks, Passenger amenities, High Speed & Elevated corridors and Station redevelopment etc.
(c) to (f): No, Madam. The World Bank was approached to explore the possibility of setting up of a fund for financing infrastructure and World Bank has done a detailed Scoping and Options study for creating such a fund. Establishing smaller RDFs for specific zones is not contemplated as funds required by zones are made available through the Ministry of Railways. |
|
|