Railway Accounts Department Examinations

Friday, January 19, 2024

Mapping of erstwhile Demands with Major Heads & SMH - Sub Major Heads



 Mapping of erstwhile Demands with

  Major Heads & SMH - Sub Major Heads


Group

Description

Erstwhile Demand

Major

Head

SMH 


Policy & Services common to IR

Railway Board

01


3001

Nil

Misc. Expenditure (General)

02

Nil

Admin

General Superintendence & Services

03










3002

1

Repairs & Maintenance

P.Way & Works

04

2

Motive Power

05

3

Carriages & Wagons

06

4

Plant & Equipment

07

5

Operating Expenses

Rolling Stock & Equipment

08

6

Traffic

09

7

Fuel

10

8

Others

Staff Welfare & Amenities 

11

9

Misc. Working Expenses 

12

10

PF, Pension & Other Retirement Benefits

13

11

Funds

Appropriation to Funds

14

12

Dividends

Dividends to General Revenues

15

3005

Nil

Assets

Assets - Acquisition, Construction & Replacement

16

5002

Nil





Important Major Heads 

Major Head

Description

1001  

Indian Railways-Miscellaneous Receipts

1002

Indian Railways-Commercial Lines-

Revenue Receipts

1003

Indian Railways-Strategic Lines-Revenue Receipts

3001

Indian Railways-Policy Formulation,

 Direction, Research, and other Miscellaneous 

Organisation

3002

Indian Railways-Commercial Lines-Working Expenses

3003

Indian Railways-Strategic Lines-Working Expenses

3005

Payments to General Revenues (Dividends etc)

5002 

Capital Outlay on Indian Railways-Commercial Lines

5003

Capital Outlay on Indian Railways-Strategic Lines

Important Major Heads (within brackets are Erstwhile Demand Numbers)


Revenue Receipts

X,Y & Z

Ordinary Working Expenses 

(3 to 14)

Capital Expenditure 

(16)

Commercial Lines

1002

3002

5002

Strategic

 Lines

1003

3003

5003


Note: Strategic lines existed in 4 Zonal Railways i.e., NR, NFR, NWR & WR  


Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Comparison among Vande Bharat, Namo Bharat, Amrit Bharat

 Comparison among Trishakti Bharat Trains 

Picture

Category

AC or

Non AC

MPS - Maximum Permissible Speed

Gauge

Radius

Features

Namo Bharat

Non AC

160 KMs Per Hour

Standard


1435 mm

Short Distances - Less than 200 KMs


Return to Originating point on same day like Local Trains

Local/Regional Trains, Sitting accommodation only, RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) Corridor between Delhi & Meerut, Push-Pull technology Loco, EMU (Electric Multiple Unit), 6 Coaches

Vande Bharat

AC

160 KMs Per Hour

Broad 


1656 mm

Medium Distances - 200 KMs to 800 KMs


Return to Originating point on same day

Inter City, Sitting Accommodation only,  AC Chair Car & Executive Class, 8/16 Coaches, Trainset, No Locomotive

Amrit Bharat

Non AC

130 KMs Per Hour

Broad


1656 mm

Long Distances - More than 800 KMs


Overnight journey

Sleeper & Unreserved accommodation, Push-Pull technology Loco, 2 Locomotives, Trainset, 22 Coaches


Saturday, January 6, 2024

Reappropriation / Redistribution

Re-appropriation / Redistribution Rules

 

               Definition:   



·        The transfer of funds,



·        Originally assigned for expenditure on a specific object



·        To supplement the funds sanctioned for other objects. 

 

·        The new word for Reappropriation is Redistribution

 

In Simple:

 

Father gave money Rs. 1000 to his son to go to a Picnic.  Bifurcation of Rs. 1000 is: 



  • Rs. 300 for transport, 
  • Rs. 300 for Food,
  • Rs. 300 for accommodation, and
  • Rs. 100 for miscellaneous.

 

However, the son is permitted to re-appropriate the amount as per his needs (within the bifurcated figures)  i.e., From Food to Miscellaneous.  But he can’t reappropriate beyond the permissible amount and requirements. 

 

Object: 



·        The whole object is to ensure that, as far as possible,



·        funds that are not required are withdrawn from disbursing officers as soon as it is definitely known that they are not required,



·        and incidentally to provide that any really unavoidable expenditure is met from such savings as far as possible.


Salient Features:



·        Codal Provisions:  375F to 381F



·        Important administrative tool in the hands of the executive in budget execution, without going to Parliament on trivial issues.



·        Prior Finance Concurrence is required.



·        Annexure i of Appropriation Accounts – deal with the irregular Re-appropriations



·        Should not be randomly / unsystematically



·        The administration should review the position as a whole at intervals and carry out necessary re-appropriations. 



·        The whole object is to ensure that, as far as possible,



  • funds that are not required are withdrawn from disbursing officers as soon as it is definitely known that they are not required, 



  • and incidentally to provide that any really unavoidable expenditure is met from such savings as far as possible.



  • Save for Budgetary review periods, re-appropriations are open throughout the year. 



  • Sanction Order of re-appropriations should be generated from Budget VPN (Virtual Private Network) or VeRBS – VPN enabled Rail Budget System through the reappropriation Module only, so that the changed funds' position gets reflected in the system.




  • PAC and C&AG are critical of large-scale re-appropriations and frequent re-appropriations as they tend to undermine Parliamentary Authority over Railway finances. Hence it needs to be justified with reasons.



  • Funds can not be reappropriated to a work not having administrative approval and technical sanction of competent authority.



  • Amount reappropriated to any work shall not exceed the sanctioned cost of that work. 



  •  Re-appropriations cannot be done against the outlay and during the currency of the 'Vote on Account' allotment.



  • No reappropriations may be done after the issue of RE/RG. Urgent requirements, if any, may be projected at the supplementary stage in February and/or Final Estimates in March.



  • Any number of Re-appropriations are permitted, but no re-appropriation can be done to restore funds withdrawn during the year.  



  • These relaxations vary from year to year and are communicated through Spending Limit orders.    



  • When orders are issued by the Railway Board authorizing the railway administrations to incur expenditure to a certain extent over and above the allotment sanctioned for them, they should be taken as "expenditure orders" as distinct from "Budget orders".



  • No cognizance of these orders should be taken while sanctioning re-appropriations or in distributing the sanctioned allotment over the various sub-heads.

Railway Board - Re-appropriation Powers

Allowed

Not allowed

From

To

From

To

One Sub Major Head (erstwhile Demands)

Another Sub Major Head  (erstwhile Demands)

Within Grant

(Revenue )

Within Grant

(Capital)

One Plan Head 

Another Plan Head

Within Grant

(Capital)

Within Grant

(Revenue )

One item under Bulk orders of Plan Head 21 - Rolling Stock

To another item under Bulk orders of Plan Head 21 - Rolling Stock

Voted

Charged

National Projects or Projects of National importance

Charged 

Voted

Works involve Material Modification of Rs. 2.5 Crores and above during the current financial year

One Source of Finance (i.e. between Capital, Railway funds, Railway Safety Funds, Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, EBR(IF) , EBR(IRFCBonds) etc.) 

Another Source of Finance (i.e. between Capital, Railway funds, Railway Safety Funds, Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, EBR(IF) , EBR(IRFCBonds) etc.) 

·        Under EBR Works (except EBR (IF)                                  

One Civil Grant (SBF, HBA, PC)

Another Civil Grant (SBF, HBA, PC)

Under works executed by RVNL

One Major Head

Another Major Head 

After 31st March

One Railway Fund to another Railway Fund ( like DRF, DF, SF etc)



 

Zonal Railways - Re-appropriation Powers

Allowed

Not allowed

From

To

From

To

Redistribute within same primary unit under same Sub Major Head (erstwhile Demand)

Revenue 

Capital

·        From One Itemized Pink Book work in Same Plan Head, Same Source finance subject to residual grant being not less than Rs.One Lakh

·        To another Itemized Pink Book work in Same Plan Head, Same Source of Finance subject to residual grant being not less than Rs. .  

One Lakhs.

Capital

Revenue

·        From One work of LAW Book item sanctioned under Pink Book costing Rs.2.5 Crores each (Lumpsum works)

·        To another work of LAW Book item sanctioned under Pink Book costing Rs.2.5 Crores each (Lumpsum works)

Voted

Charged

On the portion of work constituting MM - Material Modification which are below Rs.2.5 Crores, if MM pertains to Current year

Charged 

Voted

One Source of Finance

Another Source of Finance

One Civil Grant (SBF, HBA, PC, DF, DRF etc)

Another Civil Grant (SBF, HBA, PC, DF, DRF etc)

One Plan Head

Another Plan Head

One item under Bulk orders of Plan Head 21 - Rolling Stock

To another item under Bulk orders of Plan Head 21 - Rolling Stock

National Projects or Projects of National importance

Works involve Material Modification of Rs. 2.5 Crores and above during the current financial year

To / From and among EBR Works                                      

To/From and among works executed by RVNL

After 31st March



Zonal Railways



·        All proposals for Re-Appropriation of funds which are beyond the GM's Powers shall be submitted to the Railway Board sufficiently early to admit of action being taken before the close of the year. 



·        Revenue  - DRM & PHOD are competent 



·        Works – GM only is competent. 


Annexures (Total 10) to Appropriation Accounts

A.              Unsanctioned Expenditure

B.              Under charges detected by Audit and Railways

C.              Remission & abandonment of claims

D.              Expenditure on Important Open line Works & New Construction

E.               Expenditure on Strategic Lines

F.               Credits & Recoveries ( Estimated & Actual)

H.    Losses & Ex gratia payments (Rs. 5 Lakhs and above)

I.            irregular Reappropriations

J.                Important Misclassifications

K.              Defects in Budgeting  (In fact, there is no alphabet K for this annexure. )

 

Key Points: 

1.    Reappropriation Rules - Chapter 3 of Finance Code (Para 375 to Para 381) 

2.    Annexure i of Appropriation Accounts – deals with the irregular Re-appropriations 

 

3.              VPN stands for  Virtual Private Network 

 

4.              VeRBS stands for  VPN enabled Rail Budget System 

 

5.              Railway Board and Zonal Railways have No Powers for the following reappropriations. 



A.             Voted to Charged or Vice Versa  



B.   One Major Head to Another Major Head 



C.   Revenue to Capital or Vice Versa 

 

D.   One Source of Finance to Another Source of Finance 

 

E.   One Railway Fund to Another Railway Fund 

 

F.    One Civil Grant to Another Civil Grant 

 

G.  After 31st March 


MCQ - Reappropriation Rules



1.    Which one is not correct in respect of Re-appropriation Rules ?



A.              Prior Finance Concurrence is required. 

B.              Sanction Order of re-appropriations should be generated from Budget VPN (Virtual Private Network) or VeRBS – VPN enabled Rail Budget System through reappropriation Module only,

C.              Annexure J of Appropriation Accounts deals with the irregular Re-appropriations

D.              Reappropriations are not allowed after 31st March.   

2.  VeRBS stands for ______________



A.              VPN enabled Rail Budget System

B.              Virtual engineering Rail Budget System

C.              VPN enabled Rail Budget Source

D.              Virtual engineering Rail Budget Source

3. VPN stands for ________________ 


A.              Value Private Network

B.              Virtual Program Network

C.              Virtual Provisional Network

D.              Virtual Private Network


4. Which Reappropriation is permitted by Railway Board


A.              One Source of Finance to Another Source of Finance

B.              One Sub Major Head to Another Sub Major Head under Major Head 3002

C.              Revenue to Capital or Vice Versa

D.              Voted to Charged or Vice Versa 

5. Zonal Railways have powers to Reappropriate On portion of work constituting MM - Material Modification which are up to  _________, if MM pertains to Current year 



A.             Rs. 5 Crores 

B.             Rs. 1 Crore 

C.             Rs. 2.5 Crore 

D.             None of these

Answers: 



1.   

2.    A

3.    D

4.    B {Because Major Head 3002 is part of Single Demand No.85 (for FY 2023-24).  However, Zonal Railways have no power to reappropriate among SMH - Sub Major Heads } 

5.    C

 

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