Great success of issue of IRCTC shares, a miniratna public-sector-undertaking doubling money of investors overnight calls for issue of long-term bonds by IRCTC for setting of large-scale production-units in every district of the country for packaged-water, confectionery items and other food-products to replace cooked meal in trains and schools (mid-day meal programme feeding 12 crore school-children) where complaints of sub-standard food in unhygienic conditions are quite common. Apart from such complaints of finding deal lizards, rats etc are also not uncommon.
Such setting of big units in large number by IRCTC with help of long-term bonds will provide huge employment in public-sector apart from giving profit-earning for public-exchequer. Even products can be sold in open market also to make private players bring down prices of food-products also assuring better quality.
Employment in public-sector can also be tremendously increased by digging out unaccounted money through permanent Voluntary Disclosure Scheme whereby those declaring unaccounted money may be asked to invest 50-percent amount in another type of long-term Infrastructural bonds with nominal interest, to be issued by public-sector undertakings like IRCTC.
MADHU AGRAWAL