Sub: AIRF's suggestions for Rail Budget 2015-16

No.AIRF/60
Dated: January 16, 2015
Hon’ble Minister for Railways,
Ministry of Railways,
(Government of India),
Rail Bhawan,
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Sub: AIRF’s suggestions for Rail Budget 2015-16
The following important suggestions, being made by the All India Railwaymen’s Federation(AIRF), the largest
organization of the Railwaymen in India, are being submitted to your good-self, so as to consider the same while
presenting forthcoming Rail Budget for the year 2015-16:1. Re-calling of instructions issued for the Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) in the Indian Railways.
2. It may be recalled that, the former Hon’ble Minister for Railways, while presenting successive Rail Budget
for the year 2009-10 had made a number of valuable announcements in respect of various Welfare
Schemes, viz. establishing Medical Colleges at Chennai, Hyderabad, Bilaspur, Lucknow, Barasat,
Bhubaneswar, Mysore, Kharagpur, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jodhpur, Gardenreach, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, B.R.
Singh Hospital, Bhopal, Jammu and Trivandrum, and opening of Nursing Colleges at Delhi, Kolkata,
Mumbai(Kalyan), Chennai, Secunderabad, Lucknow and Jabalpur. Apart from this, opening of Central
Schools and Technical Institutions at various important stations of the Indian Railways was also to be
done as embodied in the Budget Speech of the Hon’ble MR. In addition, “Own Your House Scheme” and
provision of Mobile Medical Van for treatment of Railway Staff and their families posted on roadside
station, was also announced for the Railwaymen. It is, however, quite disappointing that despite lapse of
around four years times, these welfare schemes are yet to see the light of the day due to one reason or the
other, the main reason being non-allocation of adequate funds for this purpose in the Rail Budget.
Therefore, it would be quite appropriate that adequate funds are allocated for the above schemes for the
welfare of the Railwaymen, that would prove to be an effective stimulus and motivation for them.
Ref.: (i) Para 32 of Hon’be MR’s Rail Budget Speech for the year 2009-10 in respect of setting up of
Nursing College and Medical Colleges.
Ref.: (ii) Para 50 of Hon’be MR’s Rail Budget Speech for the year 2010-11 - Setting up of Hospitals and
Educational Institutions on surplus railway land.
Ref.: (iii) Para 61 of Hon’be MR’s Rail Budget Speech for the year 2011-12 in respect of setting up of
Polytechnics.
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With a view to secure trust and believe of more than 13 lakh Railwaymen in the Railway Ministry, it would be
quite appropriate that necessary budgetary provision is ensured in the forthcoming Rail Budget, for the year
2015-16, so that there is some visible progress in this regard.
3. Extension of the scope of the LARSGESS
The “Liberalized Active Retirement Scheme for Guaranteed Employment of Safety Staff”
(LARSGESS), introduced in the year 2010, modifying “Safety Related Voluntary Retirement Scheme” in
vogue, came into effect in the year 2005. This scheme has facilitated in induction of young bloods in place
of comparatively incapable aged Railway staff, who opted for Voluntary Retirement and their wards recruited
under this scheme. This has been working well in maintaining safety standards on the Indian Railways and
has equally been found economically viable also. On sustained persuasions by this federation, only Safety
Categories Staff, working in Grade Pay Rs.1800 and 1900, have been covered by this scheme, and those
placed in higher grade pay are still out of the ambit of the same. It may be appreciated that, a large-number
of staff in higher grade pay are now physically not maintaining good health and they wish to seek Voluntary
Retirement for paving way for recruitment of their wards who are quite educated and full of energy and
capability.
We, therefore, request your good-self to extend the scope of the LARSGESS, so as to cover all Safety
Categories Staff, working in Grade Pay up to Rs.4600, in the ensuing Budget Speech.
4. Improvement in the condition of Railway Colonies, Roads and Running/Rest Rooms
A large number of Railway quarters are over-aged and their maintenance/repair is not practicable due to
abnormally high cost. Due to paucity of sufficient funds, neither proper maintenance/repair of the Railway
quarters is being managed nor new quarters built in replacement of the old-aged ones. The roads and
drainage system in the Railway Colonies is also in very depleted condition. Similar is the condition of most
of the Drivers/ Guard’s Running Rooms, TTEs Rest Rooms, Subordinate Rest Houses and Rest Rooms for
other Railways staff, as a result of which, these staff are not able to take proper rest therein.
Adequate funds, therefore, need to be allocated in the Rail Budget, for the year, 2015-16, so as to affect
proper improvement in the condition of Railway Colonies, Running Rooms, Rest Houses, Rest Rooms etc.
as also to provide separate Ladies Running Rooms/Rest Rooms, Toilets and Change Room for Women
Railway Employees, as their number is on increasing trend and they are also employed in various spheres
of life.
5. Improvement in medical facilities
Railway Health Services are getting deteriorated day-by-day due to non-availability of adequate number of
Railway Doctors, Paramedical Staff and Infrastructure. Even, life saving medicines are at times not being
provided to Railway beneficiaries on account of paucity of resources. Proper allocation of funds for overall
improvement in Railway Health Services is, therefore, required to be made so as to engage Specialist
Doctors, Paramedical Staff and availability of proper quality of medicines, particularly life saving medicines
from reputed firms. Sufficient number of specialized private or semi-government hospitals are also required
to be recognized for treatment of Railway beneficiaries at all important stations.
Already announced “Smart Card” facility for getting cashless treatment in the recognized hospitals has not
yet been implemented despite lapse of sufficient time, as such this facility be introduced immediately for all
existing and retired Railway employees so that they are able to get hassle-free treatment in emergency.
In the wake of present Central Government’s scheme to open Medical Colleges in all the district hospitals,
all the Divisional Hospitals in the Railways should also be considered for opening of Associated Medical
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Colleges, wherein facilities available in these hospitals, like Doctors, Paramedical Staff and other medical
facilities can be made use of, because Divisional Hospitals mostly cover more than one district.
Age bar for getting treatment from Railway Hospitals/Referral Hospitals for the wards of the Railwaymen
should be done away with, so as to facilitate their treatment until marriage of the daughter and employment
of the son without any age limit.
Dependent parents, both father and mother, be covered under medical facilities for Serving/Retired Railway
Employees.
The scheme, previously announced by the former Hon’ble MR to provide Mobile Medical Van with complete
paraphernalia to facilitate door-to-door medical facilities for the staff posted as the roadside stations and
their family members.
6. Filling up of Safety Category Posts
It is seen that despite several assurances by the Ministry of Railways, around 1.5 lakh Safety Category
Posts always remain unfilled, which is a potential danger to the safety of rail operation. Some new
mechanism, therefore, needs to be developed to fill-up at least vacancies in the Safety Categories in a time
bound manner, wherein priority needs to be given to the wards of the Railwaymen. This procedure was
in vogue in the early 90s.
7. Extension of facilities of Privilege/Complimentary Passes
It may be recalled that, one of the former Hon’ble Ministers for Railways had announced to extend the
benefit of Privilege/Complimentary Pass to both the parents of the Railwaymen and the officers, but the
same is yet to be implemented. In case of Defence employees and other enterprises, both the parents are
entitled to avail the facility of free travel, but not in the Railways, which is the largest transport system in our
country. This needs to be implemented forthwith.
The facility of Post Retirement Complimentary Passes is being denied to all those Railway employees who
could not complete 20 years of Qualifying Service due to their late entry in the Railways, either appointed on
compassionate ground or absorption of Coolies, employment of Ex. Servicemen in Railways. Since all these
appointments are made under special circumstances, the condition of minimum Qualifying Service of 20
years needs to be relaxed for such employees.
The age limit for entitlement of Passes also needs to be enhanced for dependent son in the present social
scenario until they get employment, without any age bar.
8. Revision of New Pension Scheme
As a result of discussions held with Railway Board on 07.02.2014 on 36-point Charter of Demands, it was
agreed that the National Pension Scheme(NPS) would be replaced with “Old/Guaranteed Pension
Scheme” for those employed on or after 01.01.2004 on the Indian Railways on the pattern of Defence
personnel. The former Hon’ble Minister for Railways had, accordingly referred this issue to Hon’ble Finance
Minister vide letter No.2012/F(E)III/1/4-Part dated 29.03.2014, but the final outcome is still awaited. We
request for suitable measures to be announced in the forthcoming Rail Budget, to meet the agreement
arrived at between the Staff Side and the Railway Board.
9. Absorption of Quasi-Administrative Staff in the Railways
Quasi-Administrative Staff employed on the Indian Railways be regularized, and Railway Board may be
instructed to restore the scheme for the Quasi-Administrative Offices as being allowed in case of Railway
Officers for engaging TADK/Bungalow Peon.
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10. Provision of proper infrastructure and manpower while introducing new trains
New trains are being introduced as a regular measure without providing proper infrastructure and adequate
manpower, resulting in increasing workload, has become a safety hazard, owing to shortage of staff and
improper infrastructure. Therefore, no new trains be introduced until proper infrastructure and adequate
manpower is made available for running the same.
11. High Power Committee, appointed by the Ministry of Railways, under the chairmanship of Dr. D.P.
Tripathi, to review the duty hours of Running and other Safety related categories of staff, has since
submitted its recommendations; the same are yet to be implemented. Suitable measures may therefore, be
taken to implement the positive recommendations of the said committee.
12. Proper Pathway should be provided for the Trackmen for performing their duties efficiently and safely.
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