The railways has begun its Kisan Rail services to transport perishable goods. This will be the first such train, carrying vegetables and fruits, that would run between Maharashtra and Bihar. This is a step towards doubling the income of farmers by 2022 and fulfilling the Prime Minister’s promise made in the Union Budget.
Kisan Rail
- The announcement regarding the “Kisan Rail” was made in the current year’s Budget, which envisaged setting up of the rail through the public private partnership (PPP) mode.
- This train will help in bringing perishable agricultural products like vegetables, fruits to the market in a short period of time.
- The train with frozen containers is expected to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, inclusive of fish, meat and milk.
- This train’s freight will be charged as per Indian Railways’ parcel tariff of normal train (P Scale).
Kisan Rail 1
- The ‘Kisan Rail’ will start from Devlali in Maharashtra’s Nashik at 11 am and will reach Danapur in Bihar at 6.45 pm next day.
- The train will run on a weekly basis. From Maharashtra’s Devlali to Bihar’s Danapur, the train will cover the journey of 1,519 kilometres in over 31 hours.
Kisan Rail 2
- The country’s second and south India’s first Kisan train will transport agriculture products from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to Adarsh Nagar Railway Station in New Delhi.
- In Anantapur, fruits and vegetables are being grown in more than 2 lakh hectare areas, and the Kisan rail will prove very beneficial to farmers of this region.
- AP has 1st rank in the country in the production of tomatoes, coconut, papaya, and chilies and is the biggest fruit-producing state in South India.
Source: Livemint & Financial Express
