Zee News launches new show on issues of public interest; Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flags off maiden episode with policy-makers, politicos and Press in attendance
It will cost the state exchequer an astounding Rs 6 lakh crore to complete the pending projects with the Railway Ministry, revealed Union Minister for Railways, Suresh Prabhu, at the maiden episode of the show RaZniti launched by Zee News. He informed that of the 674 projects in the last 20 years, only 312 have been completed. The Railways ferry almost 2.6 lakh visitors every day.
Speaking to a gathering of policy-makers, politicos and people from the Press, the Minister said that lack of funds is a critical issue that is holding up the steering of the Railways to success. The gathering had in attendance former Samajwadi Party member Amar Singh, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, actor Manoj Tiwari, Madhu Kishwar and Justice Mudgal.
Speaking about the abject filth in the Railways, the Minister said that the Ministry is considering a cleanliness system that will benefit from the integrated waste management method, and that it will have the involvement of State municipal authorities. He also spoke of a project where disaster management authorities will derive the most from the Railways during disasters and calamities.
Answering a question from Arunima Ghosh, who lost her legs due to a train accident and eventually went on to climb Mount Everest, the Minister promised to make trains safer for women and the disabled. Taking note of the difficulty of having compartments meant for women and the disabled at the back of the train, the Minister said that he will work on a system to get them in a better position at the front. He also said that the Ministry is working out a system of putting CCTVs on platforms and inside trains.
Answering a query from Amar Singh, the Minister said that the Railways are open to private investments, and that it will benefit not only the people who travel in trains, but also its 13 lakh employees. Prabhu also spoke of the bullet trains project, and said that the Ministry will now rename it.
Subsequent episodes of the RaZniti show will deal with topics of national importance and interest such as the Railways, Education, Healthcare, J&K, NRIs, the North-east, Defence, etc. It will have interactivity and participation from college campuses and citizens who can be live-streamed into the show with their questions.
Each episode will lead to a set of policy recommendations on the sector, which might be further taken up by voting on social media and website to create a sustainable impact and stir the thought process of policy-makers.
At the end of the series, a white paper recommendation is being planned which will be edited by the Editor and knowledge partner of Zee News, and presented to the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Chairman of the Niti Aayog.
