RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-17

HIGHLIGHTS OF RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-17

● Minister sees operating ratio of 92 percent in FY17 as against 90 percent in current year
● Rs 8,720 cr saving in 2015-16 budget in fuel cost like power
● The railways have ramped up capital expenditure to remove the huge backlog and provide for future needs; rate of capital expenditure has increased
● Investment proposed in 2016-17 at Rs 1.21 lakh crore, higher from Rs 1 lakh crore last year.
● Proposes to commission 2,800 km of new tracks in next year
● Outlay for railway electrification increased by 50 percent; 2,000 km route to be electrified next fiscal
● 2000 km rail route to be electrified in 2016-17
● Railways to get Rs 40,000 cr budgetary support from the government
● Railways to increase lower berth quota for senior citizens by 50 percent
● Ajmer, Amritsar, Gaya, Mathura, Nanded, Nashik, Puri, Tirupati, Varanasi, Nagapattinam and other pilgrim stations to be beautified
● Two elevated suburban railway corridors - Churchgate-Virar and CST-Panvel to be constructed in Mumbai; Ring railway covering 21 stations to be revived with state participation.
● India's first railway auto hub in Chennai to be inaugurated soon
● Logistics and warehouse parks to be created on PPP mode
● Station development and re-development, monetisation of land to raise rail revenue from non-freight sources
● Rs 30,000 crore is the loss on subsidising passenger fares, says Railway Minister
● Railways to shift to completely paperless contract system in 2016-17, says minister
● Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at select stations on pilot basis
● E-booking of tickets on concessional passes for journalists introduced
● Cleaning of coach on demand to be introduced; Disabled enabled toilet in 11 Class-A stations this year
● 33 percent reservation to women in reserved quota in Railways will be introduced
● Children menu to be introduced on pilot basis on trains
● North-South, East-West dedicated freight corridor proposed in Railway Budget for 2016-17
● Three direct services - fully air-conditioned Humsafer to travel at 130-km per hour
● Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at select stations on pilot basis
● Overnight double-decker train Uday Express to be introduced on busiest routes, carrying capacity to be 40 percent more
● Propose to start cancellation through 139. Bar-coded tickets will be issued on a pilot basis. This is aimed at reining in the menace of ticket less travel and also making travel hassle-free.
● 400 railway stations to be equipped with wifi, 100 this year
● 124 MPs have committed to contribute from MPLADS for passenger amenities. 

BAFTAs Awards 2016

Britain's 69th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) were held at the Royal Opera House in London on February 14, The "Revenant" won big at this year’s BAFTA Awards, winning best film, best director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, and best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, the full list of 2016’s BAFTA winners.

Complete List of Winners:

Film: The Revenant
Director: Alejandro G Inarritu, The Revenant
Leading Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Leading Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Animated Film: Inside Out
British Short Animation: Edmond
British Short Film: Operator
Cinematography: The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beavan
Documentary: Amy
EE Rising Star: John Boyega
Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Film not in the English Language: Wild Tales
Make-Up and Hair: Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Music: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
Original Screenplay: Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Outstanding British Film: Brooklyn
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: The Theeb, Rupert Lloyd
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound: The Revenant
Special Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Union Government to set up National Organic Farming Research Institute in Sikkim

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has decided to set up the National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Sikkim. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh after he met Sikkim Agriculture Minister Som Nath Paudyal in New Delhi. The NOFRI will be established by upgrading the existing Gangtok based Regional Centre of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Apart from this, Union Government also has assured State Government to help in sustaining the organic farming and also in marketing of the State’s organic products.

 Background
 In January 2016, Sikkim was officially declared as first fully organic state in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state has achieved this feat by converting around 75000 hectares of land into certified organic farms by following the guidelines prescribed by National Programme for Organic Production.