Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said there is no preference or relaxation, or job reservation in recruitment of Manipur Railway staff considering the region as "it will affect the constitution provision of equal job opportunity to all".
Vaishnaw was replying to a query raised by Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba in Parliament on Budget Session-day four, on the job reservation details for the people of Manipur in the appointment of railway staff.
Regarding the completion time of the Imphal-Jiribam Railway Project and steps to tackle the issue of fake Aadhaar card, the minister responded in the House that certain factors, including law and order situation, geographical and topographical condition, climate condition, land acquisition and official clearance are the reasons for the delay in the completion of Railway Project in Manipur.
The MP also questioned the possibility to service high speed trains like Vande Bharat in Manipur.
In reply, the minister stated that the 111-km-long railway line project in Manipur was taken up in an effort to connect Imphal with the Indian Railway network with an estimated budget of Rs 14,323 crore.
Till March 31, 2022 a total of Rs 12,371 was utilised in the project, he said, adding that an outlay amount of Rs 1,000 for 2022-23 was sanctioned.
Stating that the railway service has started commissioning for Jiribam to Khongsai which is approximately 55 km, he said every possible step has been taken to ensure completion of the railway project at the earliest.
Operation of trains like Vande Bharat is taken up after considering the operational feasibility, resource availability, traffic justification among others as per the norms of the Indian Railways, he added.
Regarding the issue of fake Aadhaar cards, minister of state for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar stated that the Aadhaar system is one of the most secure systems. He stressed the need to take appropriate legal action for any such cases of fake Aadhaar cards.
