Srei Infra CMD: 2014 Rail Budget broadens scope of private sector participation
According to Hemant Kanoria, Chairman and Managing Director of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd, the 2014 Rail Budget has – unlike the Rail Budgets of the previous years – broadened the scope of participation of the private sector.
The observation by Kanoria comes against the backdrop of the fact that the Rail Budget this year is largely focused on modernisation of Indian Railways and making it ‘future-ready.’
With the Rail Budget 2014 including a proposal for setting up of a dedicated Railway University to effectively cater to the technical and non-technical requirements of the rail sector, Kanoria said that the proposed move will contribute greatly to modernising the skill-sets of an organization as mammoth as the Indian Railways.
Kanoria said that it was widely expected that the Rail Budget this year will include announcement of projects such as the Diamond Quadrilateral of high-speed trains connecting the Metro cities and promotion of tourism through railways.
Towards that end, Kanoria elaborated that – given the 94 percent working ratio at which Indian Railways is functioning – all possible means of mobilising resources have to be explored, particularly from “non-core non-transportation activities.”
About one of the other noteworthy announcements made in Rail Budget 2014, Kanoria said: “Encouraging the wagon leasing scheme is another positive from this Budget.”
Source- The Hindustan Business Line
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