Dinesh Trivedi praises Railways' IIT, IIM brains; wants designer clothes for railmen

Dinesh Trivedi on B-Day

THE political aftershocks of Dinesh Trivedi’s rail budget might have overshadowed what he said and proposed in the budget, but the fine-prints clearly suggest Trivedi’s outlook towards the rail babus was out and out positive. The man who had a history of using the harshest possible comments against bureaucrats, actually showered praise on 14-lakh-strong Rail Parivar for their “dedication, hardwork, loyalty and sacrifice” and proposed to recruit one lakh more employees during 2012-13.

“This talent-rich organization (Indian Railways) includes the best brains from IITs, IIMs, medical colleges and other professional institutes,” said Trivedi in his budget speech. In an attempt to increase the brand value, he wanted rail men to wear designer clothes. He informed the Parliament that he had requested Ahmedabad-based NID to design “appropriate outfits for various categories of workforce”.

Here are a few excerpts from his speech:

A dedicated Rail Parivar

I am grateful to each and every member of 14-lakh-strong Rail Parivar which has not only given confidence to me but has also shown the direction. It is through their dedication, hardwork, loyalty and sacrifice that the railways have scaled great heights…Right from the Board Members to the gangman, it is only this unity which has overcome various challenges and has made the country proud.

Recruiting 1 Lakh More

These (vacancies) have an adverse impact on operational and safety performance of the organisation. I am happy to inform that during the year 2011-12 we have recruited over 80,000 persons to fill up some of such vacancies. During 2012-13, more than one lakh persons are proposed to be recruited. With these recruitment, Indian Railways will also be wiping out the backlog vacancies of SC, ST, OBC and physically challenged persons and complying with the instructions of DoPT.

Restructuring Railway Board

…my railway family is extremely committed, professional and fully capable of delivering desired results. It is a dream organization to work for the young generation and provides excellent job satisfaction. This talent-rich organization of almost 14 lakh employees includes the best brains from IITs, IIMs, medical colleges and other professional institutes. While it has made outstanding contribution in nation building, I feel the current structure needs to be altered to meet the challenges of changing times. This vast organization has pockets of both excellence and anachronism. The Board should be structured along business lines rather than on functional lines in sync with corporate objectives.

2 New Members

I have decided to induct two new Board Members viz. PPP/Marketing and Safety/Research. The new Members will be charged with the responsibility of finding ways and means of augmenting resources and providing further focus on safety.

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