Indian Railways will never be privatised: Piyush Goyal in Lok Sabha

Goyal said the Modi government has hiked investment in Railways to Rs 2.15 lakh crore in 2021-22 fiscal

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that Indian Railways will never be privatised instead the government will encourage private investment in the national transporter for its efficient functioning.

"Indian Railways will never be privatised. It is a property of every Indian and will remain so,” the Minister said while replying to a discussion on Demands for Grants for Railways in the Lok Sabha.

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Dismissing apprehensions of many members whether the government is going to privatise the railways, the Minister said the country can progress towards high growth and create more employment opportunities only when the public and private sectors work together.

While seeking states help to faster acquisition of land for the railway projects, the Minister said the central 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.

Goyal said there has been no death of any passenger in rail accidents in the past two years and the railways has been putting enormous focus on passenger safety.

The Lok Sabha later passed the Demands for Grants for Railways for 2021-22.

The Minister also mentioned poor acquisition of land in Maharashtra for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. He said till today 95% land has been acquired in Gujarat and land has also been acquired in Daman and Diu. However, in Maharashtra only 24% land was acquired. “If we can acquire land in Maharashtra, then we can implement the project at a faster pace," Goyal added.