<b>Sachin Bhanushali:</b> No mention of a rail regulator in the Budget

In anticipation of the state elections, the Budget was expected to be both welfare-biased and easy on taxation. It qualified on both these counts. However, the report card on Make In India, gross domestic product and the consequences of demonetisation on the economy did not find much mention in the Budget speech. The merger of the Railway Budget with the Union Budget should enable the railways to raise resources by increasing passenger fares without subjecting them to vote politics. A rail regulator promised in the last three Rail Budgets should have been appointed. In the absence of direct parliamentary supervision,