Railway budget 2013-14: Live coverage

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presents his maiden budget today. A day before presenting his maiden budget in Parliament, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that there was a demand for more trains. But he did not disclose whether he would concede it, as his predecessors did. “The government is for the people. You will have to see the budget from that point of view…,” he said at an informal chat with reporters, when asked whether the budget would be people-friendly. Mr. Bansal clarified that the UPA government, not the Congress, would present the budget, as reporters pointed to the fact that a Congress Minister was going to present the Railway budget after 16 years. At a function later, Mr. Bansal disclosed that he was overwhelmed by demands for more trains from MPs as well as the public. He had resolved to make the Railways the most preferred mode of transport. The Hindu