Rail Budget 2016-17 Questions & Answers

ANSWER: Only 1 and 3

Explanation:

• Three pillars of the strategy i.e. Nav Arjan – New revenues, Nav Manak – New Norms, Nav Sanrachna – New Structures.
• Nav Arjan – New revenues: Challenge our conventional thinking on freight policies to win back our share in the transportation sector. IR will exploit new sources of revenue so that every asset, tangible or non-tangible, gets optimally monetized.
• Nav Manak – New norms: Each rupee that gets expensed will be re-examined to ensure optimal productivity. IR will take a ‘zero-based budgeting’ approach to the financials of the ensuing year.
• Nav Sanrachna – New Structures: IR needs to re-imagine the conventional ways of solving issues. Co-operation, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication should be the hallmark of IR’s decision-making and actions. IR will revisit all processes, rules, and structures to enable this transformation of IR.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• By 2020, long-felt desires of the common man are to be fulfilled i.e, reserved accommodation on trains available on demand, time tabled freight trains, high end technology to improve safety record, elimination of all unmanned level crossings, improved punctuality, higher average speed of freight trains, semi high speed trains running along the golden quadrilateral, zero direct discharge of human waste.

ANSWER: Tiger

Explanation:

• To spread awareness about our National Animal, the Tiger, complete packages including train journey, safaris and accommodation to cover the wildlife circuit comprising Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh will be offered.
• These are known for Tiger conservation.

ANSWER: RAKSHAK

Explanation:

• IR will provide gang men with devices called ‘Rakshak’ for intimating them about approaching trains.
• Indian Railways will also reduce the weight of the tools carried by them while patrolling on foot through value engineering.

ANSWER: Railway R&D unit

Explanation:

• IR to set up a R&D organization, a Special Railway Establishment for Strategic Technology & Holistic Advancement, ‘SRESTHA.’
• RDSO will now focus only on day to day issues while SRESTHA would drive long term research.
• SRESTHA would be headed by an eminent scientist reporting directly to Chairman, Railway Board and would be staffed with scientists and a limited number of Railway experts. RDSO functioning will be made totally transparent with time bound results.

ANSWER: Mission 25 Tonne

Explanation:

• Throughput of the railway system is an outcome of tonnage and speed. Complementing Mission 25 tonne would be Mission Raftaar.
• Mission Raftaar - It will target doubling average speeds of freights trains and increasing the average speed of superfast mail/express trains by 25 kmph in the next 5 years.
  
• Mission 25 Tonne – To realise the goal of revenue enhancement, IR needs to augment carrying capacity. A critical step in that direction is making IR infrastructure suitable to carry 25-tonne axle load. It is proposed to introduce 10-20% freight loading through 25-tonne axle-load wagons in 2016-17 and target movement of 70% of freight traffic on high axle load wagons by FY19-20.

ANSWER: Procurement

Explanation:

• Mission PACE (Procurement and Consumption Efficiency): To capture significant savings and improvement in the quality of goods and services, IR needs to bring procurement practices in line with international best practices.
• The process will involve challenging our consumption norms and assimilating a culture of optimum usage by adopting practices such as Vendor Managed Inventory, direct procurement of HSD, etc.
• IR is carrying out a comprehensive review of procurement and consumption of HSD including arresting leakages and aim to save more than Rs 1,500 crore in 2016-17.
• IR will also bring in new procedures for identification and disposal of scrap.

ANSWER: 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Missions will be headed by a Mission Director reporting directly to the Chairman, Railway Board and heading a cross functional team empowered to take all relevant decisions for a timely targeted delivery.
• Mission 25 Tonne for 25 tonne axle load, Mission Zero Accident for safety, Mission PACE (Procurement and Consumption Efficiency), Mission Raftaar for higher speeds, Mission Hundred for commissioning 100 sidings/ freight terminals, Mission beyond book-keeping for accounting reforms, Mission Capacity Utilisation to prepare a blueprint for making use of the capacity created once DFC is commissioned.
• Mission Hundred: 85% of traffic on IR originates from private sidings and freight terminals. There are more than 400 proposals under various stages of approvals. In the next 2 years IR will commission at least a hundred sidings. The current siding/ PFT policy would be revised to elicit greater private participation and an online portal will be operated for accepting and processing all new applications, along with decentralization of powers.
• Mission beyond book-keeping: Being a Government undertaking, IR does not follow practices in accounting which aid detailed assessment of unit costs. Though IR are moving from single entry to double entry systems and from cash based to completely accrual based accounting, they are not great reforms. As a thriving commercial entity, IR needs to go a step further and establish an accounting system where outcomes can be tracked to inputs. This is a structural change which forms the bedrock of transformation, as right accounting would determine right costing and hence right pricing and right outcomes. They intend taking up its implementation over Railways in a mission mode and complete the entire roll out in next few years.
• Mission Capacity Utilisation: The two Dedicated Freight Corridors are scheduled to be commissioned by 2019. These would create huge capacity for carrying freight traffic between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata. Shifting of goods trains from existing tracks to the new corridors would also release a great deal of capacity which would help upscale the nature of passenger services on these trunk routes. It is proposed to prepare a blueprint for making full use of this huge new capacity no sooner than it is commissioned.

ANSWER: 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Mission Zero Accident: Two specific sub missions would form part of this overall mission.
  
  i. Elimination of unmanned level crossings: 40% of our accidents and 68% of deaths on IR takes place at level crossings. Besides, these crossings also lead to drop in speed and hence impact the throughput of the network. We intend to eliminate all unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge in the next 3-4 years for which innovative financing mechanisms are being developed.
  
  ii. TCAS (Train Collision Avoidance System): To prevent head on collisions, we have now developed an indigenous technology which also leads to increased throughput by increasing average sectional speeds. We intend to equip 100% of the High Density Network with TCAS in the next 3 years.

ANSWER: Sahayaks

Explanation:

• Porters play a key role in making our journeys comfortable. IR intends to provide them with new uniforms and train them in soft skills in line with the evolving image of IR, adopting modern technology yet traditional in its ethos of treating passengers with respect.
• IR will also explore methods of offering them group insurance facility.
• They will be called as sahayak.

ANSWER: Sarathi Seva

Explanation:

• Rail Mitra Sewa: to help the old and disabled passengers, strengthening the existing services for enabling passengers to book battery operated cars, porter services, etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop, and wheel chair services.
• It is expanded from Sarathi Seva in Konkan Railway.

ANSWER: 1 and 2

Explanation:

• SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) Coaches - design and layout of our coaches to ensure higher carrying capacity and provision of new amenities including automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible dustbins, ergonomic seating, improved aesthetics, vending machines, entertainment screens, LED lit boards for advertising, PA system.
• These new SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) coaches would cater to emerging needs of our customers and also ensure lower unit cost of operations due to higher carrying capacity.

ANSWER: Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express

Explanation:

• World’s first Bio-Vacuum toilet was developed by IR and is being used in Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express.
• It is in pursuance of mission Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
For the Divyang, IR introduced:

• One-time registration for availing concessions while booking tickets online.
• Online booking of wheelchairs.
• Braille enabled new coaches.
• all stations under redevelopment accessible by Divyang
• to provide at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations during the next financial year and also ensure availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at these stations.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• Janani sewa: children’s menu items on trains, baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be made available. Changing boards for babies would be provided in train toilets.
• Travel Insurance to passengers - to offer optional travel insurance for rail journeys at the time of booking.

ANSWER: Chennai

Explanation:

• India’s first rail auto hub will be inaugurated in Chennai.
• This is to capture the automobile traffic.
• In order to complete the chain of transportation, it is proposed to develop Rail side logistics parks and warehousing.
• These logistic parks and warehouses would be created in PPP mode to bring the required efficiency and investment but also help attract greater traffic to the Railways. With the coming in of TRANSLOC, the Transport Logistics Company of India, IR will be witness to a paradigm shift in our role as a national logistics provider. The focus will be on providing last mile connectivity for freight business and significant reduction in logistic costs.
• At least 10 goods sheds will be developed by TRANSLOC in 2016-17.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:

• The country will get three new dedicated freight corridors, according to the Railway Budget 2016, in addition to the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata freight corridors that are due to be commissioned in 2019.
• The new projects are a North-South corridor, from Delhi to Chennai, an East-West corridor from Kharaghpur to Mumbai and an East Coast corridor, from Kharagpur to Vijayawada.
• Delhi-Chennai has been identified as corridor for auto transportation.
• The projects will be financed through a PPP (public private partnership) mechanism and rolled out on a high priority basis.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• UDAY - overnight double-decker, Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri Express on the busiest routes, has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.
• Tejas - will showcase the future of train travel in India. Will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above. It will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction.

ANSWER: Vadodara

Explanation:

• Rail University to be established at Indian Railway Academy at Vadodara.
• The National Academy of Indian Railways at Vadodara is the first institution which would be upgraded to a full-fledged university.

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:
For the unreserved passenger – Antyodaya Express and Deen Dayalu coaches

• IR proposes to introduce the Antyodaya Express, a long-distance, fully unreserved, superfast train service, for the common man to be operated on dense routes.
• IR will also add two to four Deen Dayalu coaches in some long distance trains for unreserved travel to enhance IR’s carrying capacity for the masses. These coaches will also have facility for potable drinking water and a higher number of mobile charging points.
• Humsafar is for reserved passengers.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• Humsafar - fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals.
• Humsafar and Tejas to ensure cost recovery through tariff and non-tariff measures.
• Tejas - will showcase the future of train travel in India. Tejas will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above. It will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction.

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• Sale of tickets through hand held terminals;
• e- ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards;
• Bar coded tickets, scanners and access control on a pilot basis.
• The ‘Vikalp’ (Alternative Train Accommodation System) scheme introduced in October 2015 will be expanded to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to wait-listed passengers.
• E-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to journalists;
• Facility of cancellation through the 139 helpline post verification using ‘One Time Password’ sent on registered phone number,
• To improve tatkaal services there will be CCTV cameras on windows and periodic audit of PRS website.

ANSWER: SMS

Explanation:

• IR is introducing ‘Clean my Coach’ service on Pan-India basis, where a passenger can request cleaning of his/her coach/toilets on demand through SMS.
• Ranking of A1 and A classes of stations based on a regular periodic third party audit and feedback from passengers.
• Setting up waste segregation and recycling centres at A1 category stations in a phased manner;
• Undertaking ‘Awareness campaigns’ to improve cleanliness at select stations, station approach roads and adjacent colonies.
• Installing additional 30,000 bio-toilets in the next financial year.
• Providing portable structures with bio-toilets at all platforms of select stations to meet the demand of senior citizens, Divyang and women travellers.

ANSWER: Aastha Circuit train

Explanation:

Pilgrimage centres are to be taken up on priority for provision of passenger amenities and beautification on stations at pilgrimage centres including Ajmer, Amritsar, Bihar Sharif, Chengannur, Dwarka, Gaya, Haridwar, Mathura, Nagapattinam, Nanded, Nasik, Pali, Parasnath, Puri, Tirupati, Vailankanni, Varanasi and Vasco.
• IR also intends to run Aastha circuit trains to connect important pilgrim centres.

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• Set up two chairs – one C T Venugopal chair on Strategic Finance, research and policy development and another Kalpana Chawla chair on geo-spatial technology.
• Entertainment: propose to invite FM Radio stations for providing train borne entertainment; extend ‘Rail Bandhu’ to all reserved classes of travelers and in all regional languages.
• Also IR will undertake energy audits for reducing energy consumption in non-traction area by 10% to 15%.