NITI Aayog proposes a new outfit to check rail mishaps

Govt plans to spend Rs 1.19 lakh crore under the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh

In a bid to check the rising numbers of railway accidents, the NITI Aayog in a report has suggested setting up of an independent outfit, Railway Safety Authority.

There has been a 97.5 per cent rise in the number of casualities because of accidents between FY16 and FY17. In the last financial year, the number was 241; the previous year, it was 122. Between FY13 and FY17, there were 586 accidents — 1,011 people were killed and 1,634 people injured.

According to the report, “Fund Deployment Framework for Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh”, its suggestions were broadly in line with the