Demand in LS for probe into railways' dual freight policy

A BJP member today demanded in the Lok Sabha a probe into the dual freight policy adopted by the railways several years back, saying it has resulted in the loss of thousands of crores of rupees.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Nishikant Dubey said the railways had adopted the dual freight policy under which the rates were different for transporting goods meant for domestic and international purposes.
Under this dual freight policy, iron ore transported for domestic purpose was later exported, mostly to China which hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he said.
Dubey said a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had put the losses at Rs 30,000 crore.

He claimed the subsequent railway ministers, including Mamata Banerjee, did not take any action against this alleged irregularity.
Trinamool Congress member Dinesh Trivedi, who also served as the railway minister after Banerjee, defended his party chief (Mamata), calling her honest.

"This is a serious subject and the railways was cheated. The loss cited is much more. I had asked for a CBI inquiry into the matter, but the the probe is going slow. I urge the government to fast track the case so that it is taken to its logical conclusion," Trivedi said.
LJP MP Chirag Paswan demanded a separate commission for youth.

Nominated MP George Baker demanded that the Jewish community be recognised as a minority community. This, he said, will also strengthen ties with Israel.
BJP MP Ravindra Kumar Rai alleged that banks, particularly in rural areas, were not accepting coins causing a lot of inconvenience to the people.
He demanded action against banks for this.
P K Biju (CPI-M) demanded withdrawal of GST on life insurance policies.