Welcome to Indian Industries Association, the apex body of SMEs.

President Speaks

IIA Welcomed Rail Budget but with a Caution

President IIA, Shri Tarun Khetrapal welcomed the Railway Budget presented by Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav and said that these are many positive indicators of this budget which will improve the face of Indian Railways as well as help the growth of industry in the country.

Commenting on the Freight, IIA President welcomed the announcement of no across the board increase in Freight Rates. However he said that the industry was expecting reduction in the freight rates alike the reduction in fairs of upper classes. He urged the Government to ensure that the reduction in the freight rates of diesel and petrol by 8% should result in reduction of the diesel and petrol prices. The decision of dedicated freight corridor between Delhi - Mumbai and Delhi - Kolkatta will definitely help in fast movement of the Industrial goods to & fro.

President IIA also lauded announcement of the public-private partnership to extend railway network and to allow private companies to run container trains. This will certainly help in improving the operational efficiency of Indian Railways.

Reduction of Upper class fairs was inevitable and expected however it requires further reduction keeping in view drastic reduction in air fairs.

IIA welcomed the announcement of introduction of fast trains between Delhi and Lucknow & to start train service at 150 Km between Kanpur and Lucknow. On one hand this is a welcome step but on the other we are way behind the highe3st train speed of 350 Km elsewhere in the world. President IIA expressed the hope that Ministry of Railways will draw a long term plan for matching the world class speeds. He also expressed his concerns on the implementation of the innovative announcement by Railway Minister such as Tatkal Reservations, Forward Conversion of the tickets, Maintenance of the railway stations, Use of the contemporary technologies and Availability of passenger’s facilities etc. IIA recommends that an effective4 monitoring mechanism for ensuring proper implementation of the announcements should be put in place urgently. Such monitoring bodies should have the participation of all the stakeholders.

Overall, IIA expressed its satisfaction on the budget and congratulated the Railway Minister for presenting a progressive budget and also bringing some signs of improvement in the efficiency and productivity of the Railway network in the country.