New Delhi, July 6
Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav said today that his maiden budget was aimed at making the Railways self-sufficient without imposing any additional burden on the common man but the Opposition described the Budget as “anti-development.”

Talking to newspersons after presenting the Railway Budget, he described it as “pro-poor, pro-middle class and pro-business.”

He accused the previous BJP-led coalition government of not doing enough for the development of the Railways. He said several measures had been taken in this year’s Budget to generate additional resources and increase safety and security of the passengers. He said the government had laid more emphasis on increasing freight traffic to generate revenue. The minister said the Railways faced stiff competition from the road transport and airlines and it was decided not to increase fare in any class.

Asked how he was going to finance new projects, he said paucity of funds should not hamper modernisation and the ministry was ready to borrow from the market.

He said the government had decided to directly fill 8,000 vacancies in the RPF replacing the old system of recruitment through commission to meet the immediate need of providing security to the passengers.

The minister justified the proposal to set up a wheel manufacturing unit in his own constituency Chapra (Bihar), saying that it was aimed at providing employment to the youth in this backward area of the country.

“Chapra is a backward area and several unemployed people will be benefitted”, he said.

The minister said a new concept ‘Village-on-Wheels’ has been introduced to benefit the poor.

Senior BJP leader V.K. Malhotra described the UPA government’s Railway Budget as “anti-development” and not having “anything new.”

He said Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav’s claim of making the Indian Railways the best in the world lacked conviction in the absence of serious policy guidelines.

“It is a lacklustre Budget and has little provisions for strengthening the growth impulses and modernisation of the Raliways,” Mr Malhotra added.

He said the government had not announced any hike in passenger fare and freight charges, but the “steep hike” in parcel charges would definitely impact users.

The BJP leader said the announcement of new trains had in fact been made by the previous government and wondered how the Railways would raise the resources for new projects.

Mr Malhotra described as “gimmicks” proposals for introduction of ‘kulhars’ for beverages and ‘khadi’ upholstery, saying that it was nothing but a drama.

Shiv Sena member Chandrakant Khaire welcomed the proposals for free tickets to youth appearing for government interviews and the ‘Village-on-Wheels’ project but said Maharashtra had been neglected.

JD(U) leader Prabhunath Singh said there was nothing new in the Budget. He said the Railway Minister had “only repeated what had been stated in the earlier Budget about running 18 new trains.”

TDP leader Yerran Naidu said the Railway Budget offered nothing for Andhra Pradesh. “It is a great loss to Andhra Pradesh. The state got several new trains in the last Budget but there is no such proposal in this,” he added.

The Congress and other allies of the UPA government, however, rubbished the criticism of the Opposition parties saying that it would not be fair to comment that there would be no money for the projects.

The CP (M) hailed the Railway Budget as pro-poor but said it had insufficient allocation of funds for new lines.

“This is for the first time that any Railway Minister has expressed concern for the common man,” party Parliamentary group leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharya said.

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the Railway Budget would not affect the common man. At the first look it appeared to be a good Budget, he said.

Abdus Samad Samadani (ML) described as a “historic step” the decision to allow free travel to youth appearing for interviews for Central Government jobs.

RJD leader Devendra Prasad Yadav said the Budget would not burden the common man and the proposals were meant to help the deprived sections.

The Railway Budget was presented in the absence of Opposition members as the NDA had decided to boycott the presentation on the issue of “tainted” ministers in the Manmohan Singh’s government.

KOLKATA: Former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is unhappy that her “Bengal package” has been ignored in the Railway Budget.