Is 7th Pay Commission a challenge for 2016-17? 2 govt documents, 2 views

THE Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday noted that the Centre’s expected wage bill (including the railways) will go up by around 52% because of the 7th Central Pay Commission, but the pay hike is unlikely to destabilize prices; nor will it have any major impact on inflation. But the Rail Budget tabled in Parliament a day before the Economic Survey said it in clear terms that it is a challenge calling the 7th Pay Commission one of the headwinds beyond the control of Indian Railways. Railway minister in his Rail Budget speech said the following with regard to the 7th Pay Commission:

Anything for 13.1 lakh Rail Parivar? List of takeaways from Railway Budget 2014

Rail Budget documents under security check outside Parliament

AMID big-ticket announcements of bullet train, PPP, FDI etc. in Tuesday’s Railway Budget, minister DV Sadananda Gowda’s baby steps towards 13 lakh 10 thousand railway employees got unnoticed. The minister said, the kitty towards the Staff Benefit Fund and benefits to meritorious children of railway employees will increase now. But the minister did not seem to be committed when he said, the government would "examine" feasibility of providing air-conditioning in loco cabins, a move that will benefit the train drivers. Here are the initiatives for the Rail Parivar.

Rail Bhawan is convinced India needs beyond Garib Bullet Trains, but…

INDIAN Railways has so far travelled on a slow track. It has undertaken a long journey from the steam engine era to the modern electric days, but what’s about its speed? Ahead of the Rail Budget, a handful of rail babus worked harder to give IR its first high speed rail system, popularly called bullet trains. But railway minister Pawan Bansal preferred to avoid any…

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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