A week ahead of the presentation of the Railway Budget, the Centre ruled out any possibility of cutting train fares, terming the current fares as 'already low'.
"It (fare reduction) will not be done. Fares are already low and the government is giving subsidy," Minister of state for Railways Manoj Sinha said on Wednesday.
Sinha was fielding questions from reporters on the possibility of train fare reduction in the upcoming Railway Budget, which will be tabled in the Parliament on 26 February.
The Minister noted that while the requirement of the ministry was high, the available resources were limited, and hence the rail budget would have a balanced tone, keeping public interest in mind.
Sinha said a Bill to amend an existing law on empowering the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to file FIR will be tabled at the upcoming budget session of the Parliament, which begins on Monday.
He articulated that while the Railways had its own security wing in the RPF, it was hamstrung by the inability to file an FIR for crimes which take place under the Railways' jurisdiction, reported EconomicTimes.
The minister also remarked that 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) has been introduced to allow for developing infrastructure and improve railway safety to overcome the resource crunch facing the largest Indian employer.