By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: While writing to the Rail Parivaar, Piyush Goyal Minister for Railways and Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said that it was a matter of great pride, satisfaction and gratitude as we bid goodbye to another financial year under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji. He said that past year was unlike anything that we have experienced before. While the loss of our own would never be forgotten, it was the gritingsa, determination and resolve of Rail Parivaar which had emerged victorious in the wake of the unprecedented pandemic.
Goyal wrote ” I thank you for your dedication and stupendous efforts. I can say with confidence that with this motivated team, we will continue breaking records, achieve bigger targets, set examples for others with our performance, and contribute to the growth of Indian Economy,”. Piyush Goyal said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, our Railway family devoted itself to the service of the nation. While the world came to a standstill, Railwaymen never took a day off, and worked even harder at a great personal risk to keep the Wheels of the Economy moving.
The Minister added that Due to the commitment of all, we ensured uninterrupted supply of essential goods, be it coal for power plants, fertilizer for farmers or food grains for the consumers across the country. Shri Goyal wrote that nation would always remember the selfless contribution of Rail Parivaar in it’s collective fight against COVID-19.
The Minister said “With your sheer willpower and resilience, we turned this crisis into an opportunity”. 4,621 Shramik Specials were run to unite families and carry more than 63 lakh stranded citizens. Despite limitations during the lockdown, 370 major safety and infrastructure works were completed. Kisan Rail Services became the medium to connect our ‘Annadatas’ directly with bigger markets. You, through your service, made this possible and in turn touched the hearts and lives of lakhs of people.
It is a matter of immense pride for me that Railways, with its exemplary work, has spearheaded the economic recovery. 1,233 million tonnes of originating freight has been loaded, which is the best ever for any year. 6,015 RKM of Rail Electrification works has been achieved in the last Financial year. As they say, “Records are meant to be broken” and no one does it better than Indian Railways.”
The Minister further added that now, Railways has become a customer-centric and is taking numerous steps for improving its speed as well as operational efficiency. This is visible as the average speed of freight trains has almost doubled to 44 Kmph and punctuality of the passenger trains has been maintained at a level of 96%. There have been zero passenger fatalities and a drastic reduction in number of consequential train accidents in last 2 years.
