IANS/Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday ruled out privatising Indian Railways.
Speaking at a function at the DLW stadium here to lay the foundation stone for the expansion of a locomotive workshop, Modi said canards were being spread about the railways’ impending privatisation.
“A lot of rumours are being spread about the possible privatisation but do not pay heed to them,” the prime minister told a gathering of officers, railway employees and Varanasi residents.
The crowd responded by clapping.
Striking an emotive tone and referring to his childhood days when he sold tea at a railway station in Gujarat, Modi said nobody could love the railways more than him.
“We don’t see railways only as a means to travel. We see it as the backbone of India’s development,” he said.
“What we want to do is to put more money for development of railways. This will help.”
Modi said the railways formed a top priority for his government.
The prime minister added that his government would set up railway universities in all four parts of India.
“We have to take the railways ahead and through the railways we have to take the nation ahead.”
He said that since becoming the prime minister in May, “most of the time I end up talking about railways.”
Earlier, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said Modi had identified railways as a priority sector and that very soon a blueprint of action plan for the years ahead would be issued.
Later speaking at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, Modi said the UN decision to declare June 21 as World Yoga Day was proof that India’s voice was now being heard.
Modi also asked Indians to grab the global opportunities coming their way and said he wished to see India exporting good teachers to other countries.
Hoping that India becomes a ‘Vishwa Guru’ one day, the prime minister said he had requested the United Nations in September to declare a World Yoga Day.
“Within 100 days, 177 countries became co-sponsors to this proposal which itself is a world record,” he said.
Earlier, at a function at Swatantra Bhawan in the BHU campus, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said several of the initiatives undertaken on the education front were Modi’s brainchild.
The prime minister laid the foundation stone of a Rs1bn Inter-University Centre for Teacher Education, launched the Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching and the Wi-Fi connectivity of the entire BHU campus.
Modi said good governance was the key to nation’s progress.
The government is committed to providing a transparent and accountable administration that works for the betterment of the common citizen, he said separately in a message to the nation.
“’Citizen-first’ is our mantra, our motto and our guiding principle. It has been my dream to bring government closer to our citizens, so that they become active participants in the governance process,” Modi said.
Yesterday was observed as Good Governance Day, to pay tribute to former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, whose birthday falls on Christmas Day. Vajpayee has been named for India’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna.
Modi said simplifying procedures and processes in the government was one of the easiest ways to ensure good governance.
“The push towards self-certification in place of affidavits and attestations is another indicator of the relationship of trust between the citizens and the government,” he said.
Modi said the government was also working on a simpler internal work process manual, which would be delivered through an e-learning module.