With the country's overall Covid-19 pandemic situation improving, the railways have chosen to provide farmers with a 50 percent subsidy for transporting perishable agricultural items outside of Bihar using parcel cargo Kisan Rail Air-conditioned (AC) express trains.
These dedicated trains go from several locations under the East Central Railway's (ECR) jurisdiction to Maharashtra, New Delhi, and other destinations, allowing farmers to carry agricultural products including vegetables, fruits, flowers, fish, meat, milk, and other items outside of the state.
Last year, the Railways inaugurated the Kisan Rail initiative, which allows farmers to ship their agricultural products outside of the state to get a better price and explore new markets for their perishable or imperishable food products.
“Railways is running a parcel cargo Kisan Rail express train (00107/00108) between Devlali (Nasik Road) and Muzaffarpur thrice a week, a distance of around 1594 kilometers, to cater to the needs of farmers in Bihar,” says ECR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Rajesh Kumar. Stoppages have been imposed on the Kisan Rail at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhaya Junction, Buxar, and Danapur.
To meet the demands of farmers, Railways is running at least 11 more kisan rails originating from various locations and going through the ECR domain." These kisan rails are running on the New Guwahti–New Delhi via Barauni-Hajipur (00401/00402), Mainpuri–Bihara via Barauni (00416), Yamuna Bridge Agra–Joharhat Town via Barauni (00494), Yamuna Bridge Agra– Purnea via Barauni (00496), Laxmibai Nagar—Malda Town via Pt Deen Dayal Upadhaya Junction—Danapur—Hajipur (00983/00984 ), Changsari-Laxmibai Nagar via Pt Deen Dayal Upadhaya Junction (00985/00986) and Laxmibai Nagar– Bapudham Motihari ( 00987/00988 ) routes,” the CPRO said.
Railways charge Rs 404 per quintal for booking vegetables and fruits from Muzaffarpur to Devlali, according to the CPRO. However, after a 50% subsidy, it costs just Rs 212 a quintal. "Similarly, on vegetables and fruits only, railways charge Rs 205 per quintal between Danapur and Devlali, Rs 205 per quintal between Muzaffarpur and Manmad, Rs 144 per quintal between Patna and New Delhi, and Rs 65 per quintal between Patna and Howrah," he said.
These packages include cargo. Kisan Rail trains are carrying at least 11 package trucks, including frozen containers, in their loads. The rate for each item per ton freight loading is set by the railways and is based on the distance.
The cargo in these parcels are comparable to at least 11 parcel trucks, including frozen containers, that are loaded onto Kisan Rail trains. The tariff for each item per ton freight loading is set by the railways and is based on the distance traveled.
