Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh [UPSC Notes]

Following the catastrophic train disaster in Odisha’s Balasore, an official document revealed that the railways spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore from its Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) funding between 2017-18 and 2021-22. In this context, know more about the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh from the IAS exam perspective.

Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK)

The Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) is a new railway safety fund.

• It was established on the recommendations of a high-level safety review committee headed by Dr. Anil Kakodkar.
• Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh was established by the government in 2017–18 with a budget of Rs 1 trillion spread over five years. 
• The Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) was established as a Reserve Fund. 
• The Budget provided the majority of funding (75%) for the RRSK, with the railroads responsible for 25% of the costs.
• It is a non-lapsable fund.

Aim: The RRSK was established with the intention of having a single head to serve all railway safety-related issues by dissolving separate safety-related funds.

Objectives of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh:

• The RRSK’s main goal is to reduce accidents at railway crossings, derailments, and collisions. 
• The fund primarily spends money on track renewals, telecommunications and signalling projects, road overbridges, and rolling stock.

Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh Significance

• The establishment of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) fund, which was specifically created to finance important safety-related projects, has significantly increased train operations’ level of safety.
• RRSK fund will help Indian Railways to accomplish its zero-accident mission by strengthening the safety measures on the rail network.

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