Chapra (Bihar): Promising yet another people-friendly Budget for 2008-09, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has said it would be a "basket of comforts" for the general public.
"The Indian Railway is passing through its best phase in terms of development and the budget for the next financial year would be a basket of comforts for the common passengers," Lalu said while addressing a function at the railway station here in his parliamentary constituency.
Lalu was in Chapra for the arrival of the Life Line express, launched jointly by the railways and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
He thanked Congress President and Chairperson of the Foundation, Sonia Gandhi for sending the train to his constituency.
Lalu Prasad said the Life Line Express was playing a very positive role in reaching high quality medical treatment to the poor free of cost in different states.
The train would stay at Chapra till March three and the doctors would conduct various pathological tests, offer medical advice and even perform surgical procedures.
Union Ministers Premchand Gupta, Jaiprakash Narain Yadav, Chief Project Officer of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Shahnaz Akhtar and Eastern Railway General Manager Sukhbir Singh were also present.
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has asked the Rail Ministry to set aside Rs 9000 crore to provide for a possible impact of the 6th Pay Committee recommendations.
The railway is the second largest employer in the world with a whopping 14 lakh employees, topped only by the Chinese army.
The Railways which is scheduled to present the Rail Budget on the 26th of February had asked for a budgetary support of more than Rs 13000 crore for the next fiscal but at a time when the government has other social sector priorities like health and education, sources say the finance ministry has allocated just Rs 7100 crore for the Railways.
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