Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge Wednesday began presenting interim rail budget for the next fiscal in what will be his personal first and the last such exercise for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
The minister, who has been holding the railway portfolio only for the past eight months, spoke of the role played by the railways in India's social and economic development and the lack of physical and financial resources to carry this mandate forward.
"It is time we take a note of the investment and other urgent needs of the railways," he said.