New Delhi: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu began his maiden speech on Thursday with a little dig on his surname, saying, “Hey Prabhu yeh kaise hoga’ (Oh God! How will all of this be done?), referring to the Herculean task at his hands, of transforming the Indian Railways over the next five years.

While announcing a slew of sops for passengers, including no hike in passenger fares, Prabhu said that the major focus was on ensuring ‘clean railways’.

Following Prime Minister Modi’s footsteps of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, Prabhu said that 17,000 toilets would be replaced by bio-toilets. “This year alone we intend to replace 17000 more toilets by bio-toilets,” he said. He added that his ministry aims to construct new toilets in 650 additional stations.

Regarding the linen available onboard trains he said, “We will increase number of mechanised laundry. Cleanliness of bed linen and laundry is key.” The Indian Railways has approached NIFT for new Linen designs.

The ministry plans to set up a special department called 'Swach Rail' which will exclusively look after the cleanliness of the Indian Railway.

Rs 6581 crore has also been alloted for safety in Indian railways.

Giving due importance to cleanliness Prabhu said, “Railways is your travelling home, please keep it clean.”