The Railways Amendment Bill 2024, introduced by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha, aims to improve the independence and efficiency of the Railway Board.
What Is Railways Amendment Bill 2024?
The Indian Railway Board Act of 1905’s provisions are intended to be included in the Railways Act of 1989 through the proposed Bill. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, “All the provisions in the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905 are proposed to be incorporated in the Railways Act, 1989 through this Bill.”
Before independence, he claimed, the railway network was founded as a division of the Public Works Department. The Indian Railways Act, of 1890, was passed to facilitate the smooth operation of various railway organizations as the network grew.
According to Vaishnaw, the Railway Board Act was passed in 1905 and the railway organization was split off from the Public Works Department.
The Indian Railways Act, of 1890, was repealed in 1989 to create the Railways Act, a modern railroad legislation. Nevertheless, the Railway Board carried on with its operations based on an executive decision and no legal authority.
Why Modi Government Proposed It?
“By combining the ideas of the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905 and the Railways Act, 1989, the new Bill seeks to streamline the legislative framework. In the bill’s statement of purposes and objectives, Vaishnaw stated that this would lessen the need to cite two statutes.
