Ministry of Railways (India)
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Railways in India is in charge of the Indian Railways
, an organisation that operates as a monopoly in rail transport in India. Dinesh Trivedi
is the current minister responsible for railways.
The above are only a few among all those who have served as the Minister of Railways.
and Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki are the current Ministers of State for Railways. The Railway Board
, which is the apex body of the Indian Railways
reports to the Minister of Railways. The Railway Board comprises one Chairman, five "members of the Railway Board.", and a Financial Commissioner (who is the representative of the Ministry of Finance in the Railway Board). It also includes a Director-General (Railway Health Services) and a Director-General (Railway Protection Force). A number of directorates report to the Railway Board.
The ministry of Railways is housed inside Rail Bhavan
in New Delhi
.
In 1924, the railway budget formed about 70% of the country's budget. So separating it out allowed better focus on each budget's priorities. The Railway Budget now is less than 15% of India's national budget. The presentation of the Railway budget is of interest to the people, because the introduction of new train services, fare changes and tariffs are announced at this time. Each year, the 2011-12 Railway budget is made available for viewing.
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
, an organisation that operates as a monopoly in rail transport in India. Dinesh Trivedi
Dinesh Trivedi
Dinesh Trivedi is an Indian politician from All India Trinamool Congress is a Member of Parliament of the 15th Lok Sabha representing the Barrackpore , West Bengal. A graduate in commerce from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta and an M.B.A. from the The University of Texas at Austin...
is the current minister responsible for railways.
Notable people who have served as Minister of Railways
- John Matthai
- N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar
- Lal Bahadur ShastriLal Bahadur ShastriLal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...
- Jagjivan RamJagjivan RamBabu Jagjivan Ram , known popularly as Babuji, was a freedom fighter and a social reformer hailing from the scheduled castes of Bihar in India. He was from the Chamar caste and was a leader for his community...
- Madhu DandavateMadhu DandavateMadhu Dandavate was an Indian politician.He was born in a Deshastha family. He was popularly known as an Economist....
- Panampilly Govinda MenonPanampilly Govinda MenonPanampilly Govinda Menon was an Indian politician, freedom fighter, and lawyer. He was born at Chalakudy and started his lawyer practice there as a junior to Adv. M. C. Joseph . He was the first treasurer of Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham. He moved his practice to Ernakulam afterwards...
- Madhavrao ScindiaMadhavrao ScindiaMadhavrao Scindia was a prominent Indian politician and minister from the Congress Party. He was born into the Scindia family, who formerly ruled Gwalior...
- C K Jaffar Sharief
- George FernandesGeorge FernandesGeorge Mathew Fernandes is an Indian trade unionist, politician, journalist, agriculturist, and member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He is a key member of the Janata Dal , and was the founder of the Samata Party...
- Atal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
, was Prime MinisterPrime Minister of IndiaThe Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
also held additional charge of Ministry of Railways. - Suresh KalmadiSuresh KalmadiSuresh Kalmadi is an Indian politician and senior sports administrator. He was formerly a member of the Indian National Congress...
- Ram Vilas PaswanRam Vilas PaswanRam Vilas Paswan is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party and a Rajya Sabha MP.-Early life and education:Paswan was born to a Dusadh family...
- Nitish KumarNitish KumarNitish Kumār is an Indian politician currently serving as Chief Minister of Bihar, an eastern state of India. He leads the Janata Dal party...
- Lalu Prasad YadavLalu Prasad YadavLalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. He was the Minister of Railways from 2004 to 2009 in the ruling United Progressive Alliance government, and the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party...
- Mamata BanerjeeMamata BanerjeeMamata Banerjee is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
- Manmohan SinghManmohan SinghManmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
, was Prime MinisterPrime Minister of IndiaThe Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
also held additional charge of Ministry of Railways. - Dinesh TrivediDinesh TrivediDinesh Trivedi is an Indian politician from All India Trinamool Congress is a Member of Parliament of the 15th Lok Sabha representing the Barrackpore , West Bengal. A graduate in commerce from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta and an M.B.A. from the The University of Texas at Austin...
The above are only a few among all those who have served as the Minister of Railways.
Organizational Structure
There is one Union minister of Railways, and two Ministers of State for Railways. K. H. Muniyappaand Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki are the current Ministers of State for Railways. The Railway Board
Railway Board (India)
The Indian Railway Board is the apex body of the Indian Railways. It reports to the Parliament of India through the Minister of Railways .-Current members:It currently has the following members:*Chairman Railway Board: Vinay Mittal...
, which is the apex body of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
reports to the Minister of Railways. The Railway Board comprises one Chairman, five "members of the Railway Board.", and a Financial Commissioner (who is the representative of the Ministry of Finance in the Railway Board). It also includes a Director-General (Railway Health Services) and a Director-General (Railway Protection Force). A number of directorates report to the Railway Board.
The ministry of Railways is housed inside Rail Bhavan
Rail Bhavan
Rail Bhavan is the headquarters of the Indian Railways. It is located at 1, Raisina Road, New Delhi, near the Sansad Bhavan ....
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.
The Railway Budget
In 1921, the East India Railway Committee (chaired by Sir William Acworth, hence also known as the Acworth Committee) pointed out the need for unified management of the entire railway system. On the recommendations of this committee and ratification of the resolution for separation in 1924, the government took over the actual management of all the railways, and also separated the railway finances from the general governmental finances, leading to the practice of presenting the Railway Budget separately from the General Budget of India every year. The Railway Board was expanded to have a Financial Commissioner, a member in charge of ways, works, stores and projects, and a member in charge of administration, staff, and traffic. Accordingly, from 1 April 1929, the responsibility for the compilation of accounts for the Railways was taken over by the Financial Commissioner, Railways from the Auditor General.In 1924, the railway budget formed about 70% of the country's budget. So separating it out allowed better focus on each budget's priorities. The Railway Budget now is less than 15% of India's national budget. The presentation of the Railway budget is of interest to the people, because the introduction of new train services, fare changes and tariffs are announced at this time. Each year, the 2011-12 Railway budget is made available for viewing.
See also
- Indian RailwaysIndian RailwaysIndian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
- Rail transport in IndiaRail transport in IndiaRail transport is a commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in India. Almost all rail operations in India are handled by a state-owned organisation, Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways. The rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering a total length of...
- Indian Railway Organisational StructureIndian Railway organisational structureThe Indian Railways is organised broadly by functional groups of Indian Railway Service. This is traditionally how the co-operation is organised. The Indian Railways perhaps has been less adventurous in changing the structure; it has largely kept up what it got as a legacy since the British...