Rail Budget 2013: Could Pawan Bansal have done more?
The Railway Budget for 2013-14 shied away from announcing a hike in basic passenger fares, but moved to a fuel-linked adjustment for freight rates that will raise costs by an average of 5 per cent. Experts, Col (Retired) L.V.Raju, MD of Kernex Microsystems India, Dhruba Purkayastha, president and CEO - financial advisory division at Feedback Infrastructure Services, and D Raja, national secretary of CPI, debate whether the Railway Minister could have done more and if the Rail Budget sets the tone for the Union Budget on Thursday with fiscal prudence taking precedence at the expense of investments.
