Ever for the reason that tragic triple educate twist of fate in Odisha, the Congress birthday celebration has been looking to pin the blame for the twist of fate at the Modi govt. Although the paintings carried out on enlargement, potency, protection and passenger facilities of railways by means of the Modi executive is a lot more than what Congress governments did in over half of a century, the birthday celebration is come what may looking to end up that no longer sufficient is being spent on protection, regularly the use of deceptive knowledge and half-baked data. In such an try, the Congress birthday celebration posted a tweet on June 8, the place the grand previous birthday celebration cried ‘misusing price range’ as Comptroller and Auditor Normal (CAG) file from 2022 on ‘Derailment in Indian Railways’ confirmed some bills on pieces together with foot massagers, crockery, automotive leases and extra.
In a tweet, Congress stated, “Modi executive. excels in misusing price range! In step with CAG reviews, the Indian Railways spent extravagantly on foot massagers, crockery, furnishings, automotive leases, laptops & a lot more from the ‘Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh’.” It’s notable that the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) is a different fund created in 2017, with the exception of the common price range, with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore.
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In step with CAG reviews, the Indian Railways spent extravagantly on foot massagers, crockery, furnishings, automotive leases, laptops & a lot more from the ‘Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh’. %.twitter.com/SEWlVGMNcW
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 8, 2023
The tweet was once picked by means of Telegraph and combined with the CAG file to say that the price range had been “misused” to shop for foot massagers, crockery, electric home equipment, furnishings, iciness jackets, computer systems and escalators, expand gardens, construct bogs, pay salaries and bonuses and erect a flag. Calling it a “scary element” that was once tugged away within the CAG file, Telegraph claimed, “This will likely end up to be the top of an iceberg in a story of villainy and deceit that experience undermined the noble ideas that underpinned the introduction of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), a devoted fund to beef up railway protection.”
Congress chief Jairam Ramesh then used the report back to propagate the time table additional. He wrote, “Learn right here how price range earmarked for railway protection from 2017 have ACTUALLY been spent. Surprising & Scandalous are understatements,” whilst quoting the Telegraph file. The selection of phrases signifies Congress would possibly in the end name it a rip-off.
Learn right here how price range earmarked for railway protection from 2017 have ACTUALLY been spent. Surprising & Scandalous are understatements.https://t.co/tOskvYKqkT
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 10, 2023
The Congress declare that “Indian Railways spent extravagantly on foot massagers, crockery, furnishings” the use of the Railway protection fund means that such pieces had been bought for ministers or senior officers. On the other hand, the Congress birthday celebration and The Telegraph selected to an important data which display that there was once no actual rip-off or misuse of price range. Additionally, the CAG file cited by means of Telegraph and Congress additionally simply issues out only a few common accounting anomalies, and the quantities all in favour of such anomalies are minuscule in comparison to the entire fund quantity.
The case of misclassification of price range
Twitter person Aviral Sharma shared an in depth thread on how Congress and the Telegraph had been creating a mountain out of a mole. To start with, the CAG file took a minuscule pattern measurement of Rs 2,995.58 crore out of Rs 1 lakh crore corpus of RRSK. Out of this, CAG discovered alleged misappropriation of price range of value Rs 48.21 crores. Moreover, CAG identified that out of those 48.21 crores, Rs 30.84 crores had been spent on passenger facilities like escalators, lifts, elevating/extension of platforms and extra. CAG additionally stated that ₹7.82 crore had been spent on earnings pieces, which isn’t allowed below RRSK.
…OUT OF THIS ₹3000 Cr, AN ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT of ₹48 Cr WAS FOUND & THE REPORT MENTIONS THAT OUT OF THIS ₹48 Cr, ₹30.84 Cr WERE SPENT ON PASSENGER AMENITIES LIKE ESCALATORS, LIFTS and many others
₹5 Cr on Wage & Bonus & different quantities for different works as discussed within the sheet.
7/n %.twitter.com/rAgbnE7lVs
— Aviral Sharma (@sharmaAvl) June 11, 2023
Upon studying the CAG file, OpIndia discovered that CAG remarked the price range had been misclassified resulting in lowered price range availability. A complete of Rs 4.54 crores out of the stated 48.21 crores had been spent at the building of a lawn/ready corridor/circulating house, imprest, sewage remedy plant, desk bound acquire, provision of ACs, brief electrical energy connection, intercom, energy cable, CCTV, LAN, LED/Side road lighting fixtures, the price to the air pollution keep watch over board, foot massager and iciness jacket. Moreover, Rs 0.085 crore was once spent at the hiring of automobiles. Rs 1.48 crore was once spent on furnishings, utensils, crockery, and kitchen/electric home equipment. Handiest Rs 0.35 crore was once spent at the acquire of computer systems, xerox machines, printers, laptops, AMCs, cartridges, toner and many others. If we deduct Rs 30.84 crore that was once spent on passenger facilities from the entire of 48.21 crore, it makes Rs 17.37 crore or 0.57 in keeping with cent of the pattern measurement.
The file additional famous, “Pieces of Earnings expenditure had been booked below RRSK in contravention to Para 7.7 of the RRSK Deployment Scheme which states that earnings works don’t seem to be proposed to be funded via RRSK. The wrong bookings have led to misclassification of expenditure between Earnings Grants and RRSK, amounting to Rs 7.82 crore.”
SO, THERE WAS NO SCAM HERE, IT WAS JUST A SIMPLE CASE OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE.
I want @Jairam_Ramesh knew even just a little of economics, he do not need even considered doing this propaganda then.
Now, coming to the acquisition of Foot Massagers & Crockery…
9/n %.twitter.com/4oln54nRUB
— Aviral Sharma (@sharmaAvl) June 11, 2023
It added, “Thus, even though prioritization ideas were obviously laid down for deployment of RRSK, bookings no longer falling below RRSK class were authorised below RRSK. Those wrong bookings denote misclassification of expenditure and because of this finally end up with lowered fund availability for RRSK precedence works.”
Whilst the CAG file obviously discussed that it was once a case of misclassification, Congress used it to assault the Modi govt and declare misuse of price range.
Pieces important for educate crews
Whilst pieces like foot massagers, utensils and many others would possibly appear atypical, they’re in truth important pieces for the Railways. The pieces identified by means of the CAG had been bought for Working Rooms, the resting amenities supposed for educate crews. Primary junctions and railway stations have operating rooms, the place loco pilots assistant loco pilots and educate managers take relaxation between their shifts.
It’s notable that like airline pilots, there are stipulated hours of overall responsibility at a stretch and relaxation between shifts for loco pilots and educate managers (previously referred to as guards) additionally. It’s notable that even if some long-distance trains run for 2-3 days, the similar workforce does no longer perform them. The workforce have a operating responsibility hour of 8 hours at a stretch, whilst the entire responsibility hour can prolong to 11 hours. The workforce of such trains are modified at common durations at main stations after their responsibility hours are over, and a brand new workforce takes over from such stations, who must be able by means of the educate arrives. Due to this fact, operating rooms are supplied at such stations in order that they are able to sign up for responsibility with out inflicting delays to the operating educate.
The loco pilots and educate managers stay status for hours in combination on trains. After their shift is over, they pass to the Working Room for his or her obligatory breaks earlier than their subsequent responsibility.
Excluding fundamental lodging amenities, operating rooms have a kitchen and chefs, who get ready meals for the workforce. Additionally, in line with Railway pointers, operating rooms will have to have good enough amenities in order that the workforce can get correct relaxation earlier than their subsequent shift starts.
Working a educate for as much as 8 hours is an excessively tiring process, and the pilots and executives must be on alert the entire operating time. And it is very important that they obtain correct relaxation between operating hours. This is the reason such things as cooking amenities, utensils, crockery, foot massagers and many others are very important pieces for the operating rooms.
The union govt has additionally clarified there was once no misuse of price range and just a small quantity was once spent for amenities at operating rooms. Executive assets stated that such spending was once on no account “diversion” or “misuse” of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) fund, as amenities at resting puts for the workforce also are supposed for protection. In step with the government, making sure correct relaxation for the workforce between responsibility breaks is an important, as a result of investigations into a number of previous derailments and injuries have identified human mistakes, and fatigue of loco pilots and assistant loco pilots as a few of the major causes.
In step with reviews, the railway ministry will quickly post its reaction to the CAG with main points of expenditures made for the operating rooms. It’s notable that a number of legit displays and reviews on operating rooms, together with one from 2013, point out the want to supply a number of amenities corresponding to foot and eye massagers, health club apparatus and many others for the workforce.
Speaking at the factor, Shiv Gopal Mishra of All India Railwaymen’s Federation slammed politics over the problem. “Our loco pilots, assistant loco pilots and educate managers installed arduous paintings. The amenities of meals and foot therapeutic massage at operating centres are supposed for his or her sound well being,” he stated.
South Western Railway additionally stated that these things had been procured to be used in Working Rooms supposed for the required remainder of loco pilots and guards after steady tasks of 9-10 hours. Those are as in keeping with the advice of the security committee and no longer infructuous expenditures as wrongly assumed by means of some media retailers, the railway officers stated.
Provisions incorporated in RRSK
Officers additionally famous that whilst the RRSK fund is basically supposed for main initiatives to beef up the security of railways, there have been provisions for making improvements to operating prerequisites to scale back fatigue and human error. “Each and every workforce member will have to get excellent amenities for relaxation and those will have to be higher than that of what they get at house. This has been the guideline to run fully-equipped operating rooms. The loco pilots and assistant loco pilots want to be solely attentive about sign, monitor and the gadget when on responsibility. So, we want to make certain that when they’re again on responsibility, they’re recent,” stated an legit.
In reality, whilst CAG flagged the bills on passenger facilities and operating rooms as “diversion” or “misuse”, the government notification on Rashtriya Rail Sanrakshan Kosh (RRSK) obviously mentions passengers facilities, coaching/HRD as a few of the heads of bills for the fund.
Within the pointers for the usage of RRSK price range by means of the railway board, body of workers welfare and passenger facilities were incorporated within the minor Heads classification below capital outlay. The tips point out platforms, reserving places of work, ready and refreshment rooms, operating rooms, items sheds, put up and telegraph places of work, latrines, and many others for which RRSK price range will probably be spent. The tips obviously state that there’s a transparent provision for expenditure on decreasing probabilities of human mistakes in crucial spaces of operations, by means of making improvements to operating prerequisites and coaching of loco pilots and different related workers.
Additionally it is notable that just a small quantity is allocated and spent below those heads, whilst nearly all of the allotments were made for works below Degree Crossings, Highway Over/Beneath Bridges, Observe Renewals, Bridge Works, Signalling and Telecom, Electric Works, Equipment & Plant, Workshops and many others, all important for making improvements to railway protection.
Working room amenities had been advised in reviews
Whilst the Congress is the use of the CAG file on some purchases for operating rooms to assault the Modi govt, a fascinating reality is that Railway Board had advised enhancements in operating room amenities all through the UPA executive. In pointers issued in 2011 by means of the Railway Board for the advance of operating rooms, quite a lot of amenities had been advised, together with phones, lockers, cooking amenities and utensils, coolers and many others.
In 2014, CAMTECH below Indian Railways advised a number of measures to beef up the amenities of operating rooms. The suggestions incorporated leisure amenities for railway workforce, which incorporated Foot massagers for leisure, health club apparatus and health club ball, Treadmill apparatus, Eye massager, Acupressure apparatus and many others. The file additionally advised Mild song machine, Focus forums, Sport Amenities and many others within the operating rooms.
Due to this fact, pieces like foot massagers, crockery, utensils and many others for operating rooms had been really helpful a lot earlier than the RRSK was once arrange. The Railway officers have clarified that the expenditure identified as ‘misuse’ by means of CAG are for procurement for upgradation of Working Rooms and coaching body of workers and different heads, which might be at once associated with the security of trains. Due to this fact, those don’t seem to be fripperies however a part of the mandate.
Moreover, the quantity spent below those heads from RRSK is minuscule. Nearly all of the fund is already being spent on works at once associated with railway protection. If Railway is spending 0.57 in keeping with cent nearly Rs 3,000 crore to offer some reduction to workers in order that they are able to carry out higher at their process, it will have to no longer be noticed as “misuse” or get denoted as a “rip-off” at later phases, because the Congress birthday celebration is suffesting.