Lok Sabha Question No. 83 (STARRED), answered on 2016-03-02
Subject: Railway Development Fund
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: DHARMENDRA YADAV, Shrirang Appa Barne

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.83 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.03.2016

## RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT FUND

† *83.  SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV: SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the World Bank and Railways have decided to work together for setting up the railway development fund;

(b)    if so, the details thereof and the terms and conditions fixed in this regard;

(c) the present status of the Railway Development Fund;

(d) whether the Railways has allowed 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in major railway operations and if so, the details of the sectors in which 100 per cent FDI has been allowed; and

(e) the steps taken by the Railways to increase the income from non-railway operations?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI SURESH PRABHAKAR PRABHU)

(a) to (e):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 83 BY SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV AND SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 02.03.2016 REGARDING RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT FUND. (a) to (c) The  World  Bank  has  been  approached  to  explore  the possibility  of  setting  up  of  a  Railway  infrastructure  development fund.  The World Bank has taken up a detailed scoping and options study for creating such a fund. (d) Yes, Madam.  Government has permitted 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in rail sector in construction, operation and maintenance  of  the  following:    (i)  Suburban  corridor  projects  (ii) High  speed  train  projects  (iii)  Dedicated  freight  lines  (iv)  Rolling stock including train sets, and locomotives or coaches manufacturing and maintenance facilities (v) Railway Electrification  (vi)  Signaling  systems  (vii)  Freight  terminals  (viii) Passenger terminals (ix) Infrastructure in industrial park pertaining to railway line/siding and (x) Mass Rapid Transport System. (e) The  Minister  of  Railways  in  his  speech  introducing  the Railway Budget for 2016-17 has announced the following steps to increase the Railways' income from non-railway operations:

………….2/-

- i. Station  redevelopment  through  commercial  exploitation of vacant land and space rights over station buildings.
- ii. Monetizing land along tracks by leasing out this space for horticulture  and  tree  plantation  and  for  generating  solar energy.
- iii. Monetizing  soft  assets  like  data,  software  and  some  of the free services provided by Indian Railways and promoting e-commerce activities on websites.
- iv. Advertising at stations, trains and land adjacent to tracks outside big stations and using customer-interfacing assets  for  earning  advertising  revenues  and  partnering with agencies for co-branding.
- v. Overhaul  of  Parcel  business    by  liberalizing    current parcel policies including opening the sector to container train operators, online booking of parcels and expanding Railway  service  offerings  to  growing  sectors  such  as  ecommerce.

*****