Indian Railways’ key objective of operating Kisan Rail trains is to increase the income in the farm sector by connecting production centers to markets as well as consumption centers.
Kisan Rail service: Indian Railways flags off 600th Kisan Rail! On Sunday, the Central Railway zone ran its 600th Kisan Rail Train, a multi-commodity train, from Sangola in the state of Maharashtra to Muzaffarpur in Bihar. Since 7 August 2020, the Kisan Rail has been operational and till now, it has transported approximately 2.08 lakh tonnes of fruits and vegetables across the country, an IE report said. The facility became well known among the farmers as it also carries relatively small quantities of supplies brought by small, individual farmers, according to the Central Railway zone. As per the announcement made by the Modi government in the Union Budget 2020-21, the national transporter had started running Kisan Rail train services across India, to transport agri-product and perishables, including meat, milk, and fish. Indian Railways’ key objective of operating Kisan Rail trains is to increase the income in the farm sector by connecting production centers to markets as well as consumption centers.
According to the report, at present, the Central Railway zone operates six Kisan Rail Trains between Devlali in Maharashtra – Muzaffarpur in the state of Bihar, Sangola in Maharashtra – Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Sangola – Adarsh Nagar in Delhi, Sangola in Maharashtra – Shalimar in the state of West Bengal, Raver in Maharashtra – Adarsh Nagar in Delhi and Savda in Maharashtra – Adarsh Nagar in Delhi. The route from Sangola in Maharashtra to Muzaffarpur in Bihar is the most popular route with 179 of the 600 trips being undertaken on this stretch.
Earlier, the Railway Ministry had said that the items booked via Kisan Rail train services are charged at ‘P’-scale of parcel tariff. Under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries’ ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme, a 50 per cent subsidy is being granted on the transportation of vegetables and fruits via the Kisan Rail train service. This subsidy is being granted to the consignors or farmers at the time of booking so that the benefit reaches the farmers without any hassles or procedural delays, the ministry had said.
