Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hinted at significant reform steps for railways in the upcoming Union Budget and said that there will be no separate Railway Budget for the first time in 90 years. Addressing the National Conference on accounting reforms in Indian Railways in New Delhi, Mr Jaitley said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the decision that the Government will not take steps for populism.<br/><br/>He said, Indian railway has resisted the temptation of falling back to populism in the last two years. He said, railway is existing in a competitive world and it is facing competition from the airlines and other alternative sectors. Mr Jaitley mentioned that despite currency crunch, airlines are getting more business. He said, railway stations can be developed as airports and it can become the hub of commercial activity.<br/><br/>In his keynote address, Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu said, the mission beyond book-keeping is one of the seven key missions of Ministry of Railways and the endeavour is to create a transparent and forward looking accounting system. He said, the Ministry is leveraging multi sourced finance to cater the rapid expansion of rail network and capacity augmentation.<br/><br/>He also called for improved financial reporting. Mr Prabhu said, accounting reforms is a rail budget announcement and there must be a accounting system where outcomes can be tracked to inputs. The Minister said, transparent and efficient accounting will enhance profitability and improve overall efficiency of the railways.