Your Guide to Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu

He will be the focus of national attention when he presents the Railway Budget but it is not a position he is entirely comfortable with.

Generally soft-spoken and low-profile, Suresh Prabhu was made Railways Minister last November after he exited the Shiv Sena to join the BJP in 2014. Mr Prabhu, 61, was handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the crucial railways portfolio, mainly owing to his reputation for being pro-reform, dynamic, an original thinker and scrupulously honest.

In 2013, Mr Prabhu exhibited loyalty to the BJP's top leader when he canceled a speaking engagement at the economic forum sponsored by the Wharton Business School after it crossed off Prime Minister Modi's name from the list of speakers in response to a petition which focused on the Gujarat riots of 2002 when Mr Modi was Chief Minister.

Mr Prabhu is well-versed in the grammar of governance. He was a minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee cabinet for six years where he handled portfolios such as Industry, Environment, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Heavy Industry and and Power. He was also Chairman of the Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers, a project close to Vajpayee's heart, with the rank of cabinet Minister. His impetus forged the landmark Electricity Act of 2003 which opened up significant opportunities for private investment in the power sector.

He is a four-time member of Parliament from the Rajapur constituency in Maharashtra. Mr Prabhu's appointment as Railway Minister last November triggered hopes of radical change in a ministry long regarded as a populist gravy train. Since taking over, Mr Prabhu has averaged 12-16 hours in his office, preparing for Thursday's presentation. In nine months in office, he has made some out-of-the-box decisions, reported in different sections of the media:

The World Bank was asked to make a presentation to the ministry, outlining the experience of other countries in transforming their railway systems.

He has introduced technology, including a mobile application for ensuring the safety and security of women passengers in Mumbai suburban trains. He has also identified seven key ideas to increase the poor passenger security record of the railways. One is called "Mahila Vahini", a specially-trained female force to check crimes against women in railway premises and trains.

A team is working on a mechanism for immediate evacuation and shifting of injured persons to hospitals so as to save precious time and human lives. The recent spate of accidents on trains, including fire in coaches and derailments, highlight the need for speedy action in the aftermath of an incident.

His priority has been improving passenger services, installing chemical toilets, cleanliness of trains and stations, and better quality of food, including by private caterers, the latest being Domino's pizzas.

He has formulated a six-member task force to generate advertising revenue by leveraging spaces in coaches, wagons, trains and railway stations.

Mr Prabhu has pursued two doctorates simultaneously, one on Public Finance from Mumbai University and the other from Berlin University on Climate Change. He is married to a journalist, Uma, and they have one son. They reside in Mumbai where he runs an NGO. He now, of course, has the added responsibility of being in charge of 1. 3 million people as minister for railways, India's single largest employer.