News: The Ministry of Railways will form an Empowered Group to oversee the entry of private operators for 150 trains and development of 50 railway stations as per global standards.
Facts:
Composition:
- Panel will be led by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant
- Other members of the panel will include Railway board Chairman, Economic Affairs secretary, Housing and urban affairs secretary and Railways financial commissioner.
- Member (Traffic) and Member (Engineering) of the Railway Board will be members for their respective projects.
Tenure: The tenure of the panel of secretaries will be a period of one year
Responsibilities:
- Approve and monitor the bidding process.
- Take decisions to ensure the projects are awarded in a time-bound manner.
