Indian Railways, the lifeline of transportation in India, have been a crucial sector under government control for decades. As a nation of 1.3 billion people, the Indian Railways play a crucial role in operating the fourth-largest rail network in the world, which spans 64,000 route kilometers and transports around 23 million passengers daily in more than 13,000 passenger trains. It is also one of the biggest employers in the world, with around 1.3 million employees.
But in recent years, Indian railways have been battling declining finances. Due to this, they have also been considering alternative revenue streams. These streams include the non-fare revenue segment, leasing out its sizable vacant land, and—most importantly—allowing public-private partnerships (PPP).
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Consequently, the idea of privatizing this massive network has gained momentum in recent years. Supporters argue that privatization can result in increased productivity, modernization, and greater customer service. Yet, there are several difficulties and issues with this decision, such as fare hikes, job security, safety, and much more.
Due to this, various sections of society are not accepting the privatization of railways. We saw similar kinds of dissenting voices recently when Adani Group took over Trainman. Among them is INC leader Jairam Ramesh, who criticizes the whole deal, saying that this would be the start of the privatization of IRCTC. Nonetheless, IRCTC openly refuted his claims and told the real story.
So, here’s what happened:
IRCTC discredits Jairam Ramesh’s fake news amid Trainman’s takeover by Adani
Adani Enterprises has acquired Stark Enterprises Private Limited, also known as Trainman, a well-known online train ticketing business, marking a significant development in the railway industry. With its own platform, Adani Enterprises will now be able to sell railway tickets online as a result of this purchase.
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Nonetheless, this development might not have a substantial effect on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which now has a near monopoly in the online train ticketing industry. Notably, Trainman is an approved IRCTC agency for the purchase of train tickets.
However, not all people are trying to understand this. Consequently, certain people started spreading fake news that Adani Group was now going to monopolize the sale of tickets.
Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary in charge of communications for the Congress, tweeted a media article about the Adani Group acquiring Trainman
The caption read,
First compete with IRCTC, then take over
Debunking the fake news, the IRCTC quoted his tweet and wrote,
This is a misleading statement. Trainman is one of the 32 authorized B2C (Business to Customer) partners of IRCTC. Changing the stake won’t make any difference. All integration and operations will continue to be done through IRCTC. It will only complement IRCTC and is not a threat or challenge to IRCTC
यह भ्रामक कथन है। Trainman IRCTC के 32 अधिकृत बी2सी (बिजनेस टू कस्टमर) भागीदारों में से एक है। हिस्सेदारी बदलने से इसमे कोई अंतर नहीं आयेगा। सभी एकीकरण और संचालन IRCTC के माध्यम से किए जाते रहेंगे। यह केवल IRCTC का पूरक होगा और IRCTC के लिए कोई खतरा या चुनौती नहीं है। https://t.co/7ERSbMj6JR
— IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) June 18, 2023
Since then, the tweet has gone viral, with many people sharing their thoughts on it. While many people tagged Jairam Ramesh as a liar, others found fault in the deal.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments.
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