New Delhi: Opposition members on Wednesday, voiced their displeasure and asked the government not to privatise Indian Railways as it will affect poor people. The members also demanded the restoration of concessions for senior citizens. 

In a debate on the Railways Amendment Bill 2024, Samajwadi Party member Neeraj Maurya said the government should have sent this bill to an all-party committee for deliberation.

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Maurya also said the government should look at ways to monitor the functioning of the Railway Board. "Railways is the lifeline of crores of people. Do not take the privatisation route for railways," he added.

Moving the bill for discussion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the efficiency of Indian Railways will improve with its passage.

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The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to simplify the legal framework by incorporating the recommendations of the Indian Railway Board Act of 1905 into the Railways Act of 1989. This will reduce the need to refer to two laws.

Vaishnaw said the number of rail accidents has fallen from 171 during the UPA regime to 40 in 2023-2024. 

29 rail accidents occurred in the current fiscal year. Also, the Rail Budget has been hiked in 10 years from Rs 29,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 2.52 lakh crore, reported PTI.

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