New Delhi: Railways Minister Piyush Goyal asserted Tuesday that Indian Railways will never be privatised. However, Piyush Goyal said that private investment should be encouraged for more efficient functioning of the Indian Railways.
Goyal was replying to a discussion on ‘Demands for Grants for Railways’. He said there has been no death of any passenger due to a rail accident in two years. Goyal asserted that the Railways has been putting enormous focus on passenger safety. He said India can progress towards high growth and create more employment opportunities only when the public and private sectors work together.
“Indian Railways will never be privatised. It is a property of every Indian and will remain so,” the minister said.
Goyal said the Modi government has hiked investment in Railways to Rs 2.15 lakh crore in 2021-22 fiscal, from Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2019-20 fiscal. “We are focusing on passenger safety. I am happy to say that there has been no passenger death in past two years. The last death due to train accident happened in March 2019,” the minister said.
It should be stated here that the Centre has been facing flak from all quarters across the country for its privatisation polices. Bank trade unions are currently on a two-day strike after the Centre decided to privatise a number of banks. Many private organisations have also been invited to become a part of the Railways.