Bibek Debroy to head panel on restructuring Railway Board

A committee set up to recommend strategies on restructuring the Railway Board will have to submit the report in a year.

The committee will be headed by Bibek Debroy, economist with the Centre for Policy Research. Other members on the panel are Gurcharan Das, Ravi Narain (former CEO of National Stock Exchange), KM Chandrashekhar (former Cabinet Secretary), Partha Mukhopadhyay (Centre for Policy Research) and Rajendra Kashyap, former Finance Commissioner of Railways.

Kashyap is the only committee member from the Railway services cadre.

Additionally, the committee will also have a member who will be nominated by the Department of Economic Affairs.

The committee basically has to suggest ways to restructure the board to ensure faster decision-making. It also has to suggest ways to ensure objectivity in decision-making. Additionally, it has to recommend ways to raise finances.

On the human resources front, the committee has to suggest ways to ensure migration of officials between railways and other departments.