The Narendra Modi government must clarify whether it intends to privatise the Indian Railways after Air India, Opposition members said on Tuesday while participating in the the debate on the Demand for Grants 2022-23 for the Indian Railways.
Initiating the debate, Congress chief whip Kodikunnil Suresh accused the government of inefficient management of the Railways and said it was indulging in jugglery in allocation of funds. “... The intention of this government is privatising the Indian Railways also. Air India already sold. Now next step of this government is Indian Railways. That will happen very soon,” Mr. Suresh said,
He asked the Railway Minister whether the Indian Railways would remain under the Government of India or go into the hands of “groups like Adani or Ambani”. The Congress leader said the annual plan of the Railways proposed for the next fiscal is ₹2.45 lakh crore, including gross budgetary support of ₹1.30 lakh crore. Stating that this was 55.85% of the total capital expenditure, he questioned if the rest of the money would come from private-public partnerships, institutional financing and foreign direct investment (FDI).
