New Delhi: Between the fiscal years 2017-18 and 2021-22, the Indian Railways allocated a sum of Rs 1.08 lakh crore for safety-related works. This allocation was made under the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), which was established in 2017-18 to execute assessed safety works with a total corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore over a five-year period.
The projects funded through the RRSK primarily focused on track renewal, bridges, signalling, rolling stock, and providing training and amenities for safety-critical staff. The financing for RRSK works was derived from the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) and Railways’ revenues or resources, including mobilization of resources through Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR), following guidelines from the Ministry of Finance.
Additionally, the Railway Safety Fund (RSF) was established back in 2001-02 with the primary objective of funding works related to Level Crossings and Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridges. Over time, the scope of the RSF has expanded to encompass capital expenditure on various other safety works as well.
During the last five years, both the RRSK and the RSF have been utilized to fund safety-related expenditure. Furthermore, apart from this capital expenditure from the Gross Budgetary Support, the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), and the Depreciation Fund (DF) are also utilized for safety-related works.
In the period between FY 2014-15 and FY 2022-23, the total expenditure and Budget Estimate for FY 2023-24 on safety-related plan heads amount to Rs 1.78 lakh crore. This sum represents a significant increase, being approximately 2.5 times the amount spent on safety-related plan heads during the period from FY 2004-05 to FY 2013-14, which was Rs 70,274 crore. The increased funding underscores the Indian Railways’ commitment to improving safety measures and infrastructure to ensure the well-being of passengers and staff.