The standing committee, which submitted its report recently, shows that the most important endeavour of the ministry, which included the doubling of the railway track, has not demonstrated progress despite the funds spent on it.
It further states that up till December 2024, the ministry has spent 74 percent of the budget on doubling the infrastructure of railway lines, but the physical progress is not more than 39 percent. The committee that submitted the report on the Demands for Grants of the Railway Ministry, on 10th March, has sought reasons for the mismatch in data.
Regarding doubling projects, the committee found that against a target of 2,900 km, only 1,134 km (39.10 per cent) was achieved during 2024-25 (up to December 2024). While the Budget Estimate (BE) for doubling was Rs 29,312 crore, it was revised upward at the Revised Estimate (RE) stage to Rs 31,036.86 crore, with actual utilisation reaching Rs 22,918.57 crore (73.85 percent of RE) (up to December 2024). The Committee would like to be apprised of the factors leading to this disparity.
Indian Railways is facing serious issues of traffic congestion, higher fares, and mismanagement. Amidst this, the discrepancy in funds is a huge question of how the funds are been managed. While there has not been any update or answer from the ministry for this charge, it needs to invest in capacity building and strict management to address the drawbacks.
