2 weeks ago
CAG flags delays in railway safety works, 20,304 unfinished
In India, there is a special person called the Comptroller and Auditor General whose job is to check how the government spends money.
This person looked at the Indian Railways, which runs the country's trains, and found some problems.
Many important safety works, which keep trains and passengers safe, were not finished.
There is a special money box called RRSK meant only for safety work, but the Railways did not put as much money into it as they promised.
Some of the safety money was even spent on things that were not safety related.
The Railways also spent money without proper permission and made mistakes in their budgets.
Railways made some money from carrying passengers, goods, and especially coal, but their spending grew faster than their earnings.
Because of this, their profit became smaller than the year before.
The report was shared with Parliament so leaders could know about these problems and try to fix them.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reported that 20,304 safety-related railway works remained unfinished during 2024-25.
Indian Railways contributed only Rs 5,324.62 crore of the envisaged Rs 25,000 crore to the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) in its first five years, achieving just 21.30% of the target.
Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, Rs 3,397.60 crore of RRSK funds was used for non-priority works, reducing resources for critical safety projects.
Ministry of Railways' total expenditure in 2024-25 was Rs 5,32,378.43 crore (up 3.36%), with a net surplus of Rs 2,660.28 crore, down from Rs 3,259.68 crore the previous year.
Unsanctioned expenditure of Rs 19,458.25 crore involving 1,321 cases was incurred by the Ministry of Railways during 2024-25.
Coal transportation accounted for 51.68% of freight earnings, and total earnings rose 3.86% to Rs 2,65,113.61 crore in 2024-25.
- Who
- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), which audited the Ministry of Railways and Indian Railways.
- What
- An audit report flagged 20,304 unfinished safety-related works, shortfalls in the RRSK safety fund, and financial irregularities such as unsanctioned expenditure.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- When
- The report was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday (August 12), covering accounts for the financial year ended March 2025.
- Why
- To assess whether Indian Railways achieved its intended safety outcomes and to review its finances and accounts for the year 2024-25.
Key facts
- Unfinished safety-related works (2024-25)
- 20,304
- RRSK internal resources contributed
- Rs 5,324.62 crore against envisaged Rs 25,000 crore (21.30%)
- RRSK funds used for non-priority works
- Rs 3,397.60 crore (2022-23 to 2024-25)
- Ministry of Railways total expenditure (2024-25)
- Rs 5,32,378.43 crore (up 3.36%)
- Total earnings (2024-25)
- Rs 2,65,113.61 crore (up 3.86%)
- Net surplus
- Rs 2,660.28 crore (2024-25) vs Rs 3,259.68 crore (2023-24)
- Operating Ratio
- 98.22% (2024-25) vs 98.43% (2023-24)
- Unsanctioned expenditure
- Rs 19,458.25 crore in 1,321 cases
Quotes
Comptroller and Auditor General of India
India’s senior auditor responsible for examining government accounts
“"During 2022-23 to 2024-25, Rs 3,397.60 crore of RRSK funds was utilised for non-priority works, reducing the resources available for critical safety projects and diluting the fund’s core safety objectives."”
theprint.in
“"Unsanctioned expenditure of Rs 19,458.25 crore involving 1,321 cases was incurred by MoR, which was 2.55 per cent of total expenditure during the year 2024-25."”
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