<p>Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s Budget speech, which went on without any major hurdles despite it being his maiden run, had parts to amuse parliamentarians cutting across all party lines.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The railway minister punned on his own surname to bring out the “God” meaning during his speech, drawing peals of laughter across the House.<br /><br />“Our priority is to improve the capacity in the high density section. But I thought, hey Prabhu (oh god), how will it happen?” he said.<br /><br />“Prabhu (God) didn't answer, so this Prabhu thought, why can’t we do something?”<br />The railway minister had several such light-hearted moments during his speech and even made a Hindi rhyme to explain the budget’s agenda.<br /><br />“Kuch naya jodna hoga, kuch purana todna hoga, kuch engine badalne honge, kuch repair karne honge (Something new must be added, something old must be broken, some engines should be changed and others repaired)”.<br /><br />Prabhu, who is 61, also referred to himself as a “senior citizen” while mentioning a proposal to give preference to senior citizens for middle berths in trains.<br /><br />The minister, however, faced a little trouble when he urged parliamentarians to contribute funds from their Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme to improve passenger amenities at railway stations. Some Opposition members said: “No, no...”<br />In a lighter moment, looking towards Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Prabhu said the railways are more energy efficient and emit less carbon dioxide compared to road transport. Gadkari, who was seated next to Prabhu, nodded at the statement.<br /><br />The Railway Minister got the loudest cheers when he announced that passenger fares would not be increased. MPs also appreciated the Prabhu’s “operation five minutes” expression, which was intended at making it possible for passengers traveling in unreserved compartments to buy tickets “within five minutes of reaching the station”.<br /><br />The minister said SMS services would be launched shortly to furnish the latest information on the arrival and departure of trains. <br /><br />Prabhu also said that an all-India 24x7 helpline number, 138, would be started to address passenger complaints on a real-time basis. This would first be started for the Northern Railways on April 1 and then in other parts.<br /><br />During his speech, Prabhu also mentioned Marathi novel “Khandalyachya Ghatasaathi”, penned by Shubhada Gogate, which is a fictionalised account of the construction of India’s first railway line across the Sahyadri range.</p>
<p>Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s Budget speech, which went on without any major hurdles despite it being his maiden run, had parts to amuse parliamentarians cutting across all party lines.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The railway minister punned on his own surname to bring out the “God” meaning during his speech, drawing peals of laughter across the House.<br /><br />“Our priority is to improve the capacity in the high density section. But I thought, hey Prabhu (oh god), how will it happen?” he said.<br /><br />“Prabhu (God) didn't answer, so this Prabhu thought, why can’t we do something?”<br />The railway minister had several such light-hearted moments during his speech and even made a Hindi rhyme to explain the budget’s agenda.<br /><br />“Kuch naya jodna hoga, kuch purana todna hoga, kuch engine badalne honge, kuch repair karne honge (Something new must be added, something old must be broken, some engines should be changed and others repaired)”.<br /><br />Prabhu, who is 61, also referred to himself as a “senior citizen” while mentioning a proposal to give preference to senior citizens for middle berths in trains.<br /><br />The minister, however, faced a little trouble when he urged parliamentarians to contribute funds from their Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme to improve passenger amenities at railway stations. Some Opposition members said: “No, no...”<br />In a lighter moment, looking towards Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Prabhu said the railways are more energy efficient and emit less carbon dioxide compared to road transport. Gadkari, who was seated next to Prabhu, nodded at the statement.<br /><br />The Railway Minister got the loudest cheers when he announced that passenger fares would not be increased. MPs also appreciated the Prabhu’s “operation five minutes” expression, which was intended at making it possible for passengers traveling in unreserved compartments to buy tickets “within five minutes of reaching the station”.<br /><br />The minister said SMS services would be launched shortly to furnish the latest information on the arrival and departure of trains. <br /><br />Prabhu also said that an all-India 24x7 helpline number, 138, would be started to address passenger complaints on a real-time basis. This would first be started for the Northern Railways on April 1 and then in other parts.<br /><br />During his speech, Prabhu also mentioned Marathi novel “Khandalyachya Ghatasaathi”, penned by Shubhada Gogate, which is a fictionalised account of the construction of India’s first railway line across the Sahyadri range.</p>
