(FE)
In Modi government’s last full Union Budget 2018, FM Arun Jaitley said that an all-time high allocation has been made to Indian Railways and roadways, Infrastructure is the key focus area for economic growth, FM Jaitley said. He is expected to announce a slew of transformative steps for Indian Railways. Last year, for the first time in over 92 years, the Railway Budget was presented as a part of the Union Budget. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has been quoted as saying that the Rail Budget 2018 will benefit every section of people and will focus on good governance and development. Reports suggest that the Budgetary support for Indian Railways, under Railway Budget 2018, will be around Rs 65,000 crore. This is an increase of Rs 10,000 crore from the previous Railway Budget. However, Indian Railways is expected to explore other avenues to raise funding for its ambitious projects, such as conversion to broad gauge and signalling automation and electrification. Indian Railways is also likely to report a marginal improvement in its operating ratio.
