7 Reasons Why Suresh Prabhu Is The Best Thing To Have Happened To Indian Railways In Over Three Decades
The Railway Ministry in India has always been given step-motherly treatment. For every government in the past 30 years, Railways has been one big ministry which has been thrown to the allies to run and that is why it has remained one of the major clogs in India’s infrastructural development. But the Modi government is changing that with Suresh Prabhu at the helm. Taking on after his predecessors including Pawan Kumar Bansal, Dinesh Trivedi, Mamata Baneerjee and Lalu Prasad Yadav, Suresh Prabhu has already done great work in untying the knots of this big organization. Couple this with some path-breaking initiatives like faster trains and emphasis on clean stations and trains, and we have one of the most consequential Railway Ministers in a long time in Suresh Prabhu. Here’s why we think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian Railways in over three decades.
1. Because, Unlike His Predecessors, He Is An Honest Politician
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Suresh Prabhu is widely known as one of the most ethical ministers in the Modi government. He has earlier been a minister on behalf of Shiv Sena in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet and it’s common knowledge that he was removed from that post when he refused to adhere to the demands of the party HQs in Mumbai, considering it unethical on his behalf. He is a nationalist with high morals who works for the country without any bias.
2. Worried That The Bullet Trains Are Just Hogwash? This Man Has A Plan And It Works!
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Many of us are skeptical that the bullet trains are wishful thinking which will pinch the pockets of the common man once operational because its economies aren’t strong (i.e. the return on investment is too low). But Suresh Prabhu is no Lalu Prasad Yadav and that is why he has been entrusted by the PM to handle Indian Railways. The funds for the bullet train project will come from Japan as the Railway Ministry was able to secure a soft loan of Rs. 1 Lakh crore at an interest rate as low as 0.1 percent for 50 years. If that isn’t a good bargain, I don’t know what is!
3. He Has His Ear To The Ground And His Nose To The Grindstone
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Many of the schemes under him for Indian Railways have been to benefit the common man. Be it the e-catering services, the introduction of the Go-India smart card, the mobile security app for women or the next generation e-ticketing system which can now book 7200 online tickets instead of 2000, Suresh Prabhu is the most consequential Railways minister India has seen in almost three decades.
4. Because He Is Revamping ‘Babudom’ And Making Railways More Efficient
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Railways is finally restructuring its operations on business lines, meaning that the Railway Minister is making the organization leaner by overhauling rail bureaucracy and placing checks to improve the decaying infrastructure.
5. He Is Not Afraid To Travel By A Local Train And Experience What A Common Man Needs Most
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He is a no-frills minister. Suresh Prabhu can travel by a local or take a train to CST spontaneously just to figure out areas which need most improvement in Indian railways. We may have seen better politicians in-charge of ministries but we haven’t seen a better administrator with a strong grip on his job like Suresh Prabhu.
6. Suresh Prabhu Is Social Media Friendly And Helps People Instantly
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Where have you seen a union minister going out of his way to help commuters with a single tweet? This is exactly what the Railway minister did in this case where he helped a commuter avoid all the hassle after she lost her bag in the train. With such detail to his methods, Suresh Prabhu is surely transforming the way Railway services are provided with a consumer first approach.
7. And He’s Actually Qualified To Work In The Government
Suresh Prabhu is a chartered accountant by profession and also holds a law degree. What will shock most of you is that even at the age of 61 he hasn’t limited his knowledge or zeal to learn, no matter that he’s a minister in the world’s largest democracy. He is currently pursuing two PhD programs in climate change and economics from Germany and Mumbai.
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