New Delhi: Ahead of Rail Budget, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Monday met Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia as the national transporter looks to explore several avenues to shore up its finances and funds for its modernisation plans.
At the hour-long meeting at the Rail Bhawan, the two are believed to have discussed threadbare the action plan of railways' resource mobilisation initiatives.
The meeting assumes significance as the Railway Board is in the midst of holding a series of inter-zonal and intra-departmental deliberations to finalise the Rail Budget and avoid presenting a deficit balance.
Railways are understood to be pressing for a quantum jump in gross budgetary support from Rs 20,000 crore in the last budget to Rs 40,000 crore in the coming Rail Budget.
The Rail Budget 2012-13 could lay an action plan for resource generation and increase thrust on PPP projects for capacity augmentation.
The meeting also comes just days before the Sam Pitroda-led committee on resource mobilisation and the Anil Kakodkar-led safety committee reports are scheduled to be placed before the Railway Board.
Indications are that the committees could suggest massive infusion of funds for taking railways to the fourth generation and making the public transporter more technology-driven organisation.
Trivedi, who is pushing ahead with his pro-reform agenda in Railways, has already sought Rs 14 lakh crore for the next 10 years from government for modernisation plan.
Railways had recently got a loan of Rs 3000 crore from the Finance Ministry on 8 per cent interest rate. Railways though had asked for Rs 10,000 cr loan.
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