It has been widely reported that the total money sanctioned for railway projects in Orissa in the 2008-09 Railway budget is 972.34 crores. This amount comes from adding up the items in the pink and the orange book.

Many people wrongly interpret that "total money sanctioned for railway projects in Orissa in the 2008-09 Railway budget is 972.34 crores" means that the amount is of new money. That is NOT true. This amount may include money that was sanctioned in earlier budgets but has not yet been spent.

See the two attached sheets: one from the pink book of  2007-08 and another from the pink boom of 2008-09

Lets take the last item in both: Rajathagarh-Barang doubling

In 2007-08:
Anticipated cost                       – 240 crores
Outlay expect to end of 06-07 – 102.7 crores
Outlay proposed for 07-08      – 86 crores
Balance to complete work       – 51.3 crores

In 2008-09:
Anticipated cost                       – 240 crores
Outlay expect to end of 07-08 – 96.7 crores
Outlay proposed for 07-08      – 125 crores
Balance to complete work       – 18.33 crores

Most papers have reported that the budget as 125 crores for the doubling of Rajathagarh-Barang.

Yes, but not all of that is new money.

This year’s budget only adds 33 crores of new money to this item. (The rest is from previous years’ budget).