Centre sanctioned Rs 620 crore from COVID Care Fund to Railways, more special trains to be introduced

VK Yadav said that Railways has been spending an estimated cost of Rs 2 lakh per isolation coach for its maintenance, food and linen for patients on board as well as for providing protective gear to the staff.

New Delhi:Railway Board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav on Friday informed that Rs 620 crore has been sanctioned from the Central Covid Care fund to the Ministry of Railways so far.

VK Yadav, said, during a virtual press conference, that Railways has been spending an estimated cost of Rs 2 lakh per isolation coach for its maintenance, food and linen for patients on board as well as for providing protective gear to the staff.

He mentioned that this was the budgetary estimate of Railways for the modification of 5,213 isolation coaches, which has already been received from the Centre. Yadav also announced that Railways is planning to start more special trains depending on the occupancy on routes and demands from the states.

"Out of the 230 Special trains, 78 trains are running at an occupancy of over 100 per cent as on June 26. It is heartening to see that the movement in the reverse direction from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal has begun with migrant labourers returning to work. The trend of people coming back to Maharashtra and Gujarat is very encouraging," Chairman Railway Board said.

He further added, "It may not be suitable to run trains at full strength. We are keeping a watch on occupancy of the special trains. Very soon we will start more trains depending on demands from states, occupancy and the COVID situation."

Yadav also informed that Railways has identified 160 projects for returnee migrant workers which will generate around nine lakh mandays of work under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan in six states.

"Returnee migrant workers and similarly affected rural population of six states: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Jharkhand have returned to their homes in 116 districts in these states.

They will get employment in 160 railway infrastructure development works which require 8,828 manpower and 8,67,675 mandays. They will get job for 125 days commencing from June 20," VK Yadav explained. He mentioned that it is a Rs 1,888 crore project.

Replying to a question over the private operators, Yadav said that all the requests for qualification would be sought until the first week of July.

The Railway official also said that it was a conscious call not to go ahead with the development of ventilators in Railways, aiming to help the pre-existing Indian ventilator makers to ramp up production.