Congress Criticizes Govt Over Railway Manpower Shortage

The Congress has criticized the government, especially Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, for manpower shortages in the Indian Railways. Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar called for urgent additional manpower to maintain the growing railway assets, highlighting the need for non-gazetted posts in crucial safety categories. The Congress deems this an honest admission by Kumar.

The Congress criticized the government on Thursday, specifically targeting Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, over manpower shortages in the Indian Railways. Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar underscored the urgent need for more staff to maintain the increasing railway assets. He pressed the Finance Ministry for the authority to create non-gazetted posts in safety-critical categories.

Kumar highlighted that the expanding assets necessitate additional personnel for safe train operations. In a letter to the Finance Ministry's Secretary (Expenditure) Manoj Govil, Kumar emphasized the rise in capital expenditure from Rs 1.48 lakh crores in 2019-20 to 2.62 lakh crores in 2023-24 and the associated manpower requirements.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh welcomed Kumar's candid acknowledgment but lamented the frequent accidents linked to staff shortfalls. Ramesh pointed out that hundreds of lives have been lost in recent years due to these issues, criticizing the 'Reel Minister' for lacking similar transparency.

(With inputs from agencies.)